I'll start off by saying it's impossible to take game reviewers serious these days. Who are these people? A game rated at 97 should be so groundbreaking and awesome - so flawless and polished - whoever made it deserves to be deified. At that rating we're talking wonders of the world - something only the gods could do better - an event of historical proportions.

And let's face it - RedI'll start off by saying it's impossible to take game reviewers serious these days. Who are these people? A game rated at 97 should be so groundbreaking and awesome - so flawless and polished - whoever made it deserves to be deified. At that rating we're talking wonders of the world - something only the gods could do better - an event of historical proportions.

And let's face it - Red Dead Redemption 2 does not deliver that quality. It's neither groundbraking, flawless or polished - and even though certain aspects of it does cross the border to what should be considered awesome others again falls miserably short of even seeing that border.

Graphics are stunning, world is rich on content and the general atmosphere really sucked me in. Attention to details is almost unparalleled. The story is predictable and feels a bit forced - some turn of events simply doesn't make sense and the characters turn either dumb or genius according to what's convenient in furthering the storyline - and it's also quite quite static.

All in all it's not very "organic" nor does it allow for the player to interact with it in any profound ways.

But despite not being the pinnacle of penmanship nor deeply influenced by the player's decisions - it did entertain me and in addition to falling in love with the world itself I also ended up becoming invested in the characters and even sad to see some of them go.

Rockstar is - as always - brilliant in creating the framework of a truly inspired game. Rockstar is also however - as always and unfortunately - mediocre at best when it comes to everything else.

Gameplay suffers profoundly in this game. The controls are clumsy and bad - needlessly hard to navigate, often unresponsive - and both movement as well as combat are clunky to say the least and altso unimaginative. Something youd expect from a game made ten years ago - not a more recent AAA-Production.

It lacks anything even resembling flow and also falls short in terms of user friendliness. Gunplay is pretty much autoaim and instant headshot - melee is simply mashing two buttons in accordance to animation and the mechanics for fishing actually made my hands go numb.

And even though the story is good enough (though not as brilliant as many would argue) - the missions are unrewarding tours. In fact - the way they're played out - you hardly get to influence them at all as the game itself pushes you down certain paths and makes most decisions for you.

They're so overly-scripted your actions and options constantly gets limited to a point where you might as well put the controller on the table and simply watch a movie. Most of the time you just follow character X through points A-Z then either click the objects he tells you to click or kill whomever he needs you to kill before being rewarded with a cutscene. It feels more like a tutorial that never ends than an actual game - and often it even dictates where you're allowed to move and at which pace or whether or not you're allowed to have your guns ready.

Even your weapon setup is affected. Went through a lot of trouble choosing and prepping the desired weapons pre-mission? Tough luck as this game will revert your choices to what it wants you to use during the first cutscene (even though the weapons it forces upon you are of the same type as the ones you'd prefer).

This to me was maybe my biggest nuisance - as I felt this game was treating me like an idiot. Some unwanted parasite in need of restraints. "Shut up and let me get on with my awesome story won't you? No ofc I won't let you influence it - I tell it best as it is - I am in charge this experience not you!!"

As for fishing and hunting and doing bounties plus experiencing random world events - as well as crafting - they've actually done a good job. But like it always is with these things they do get repetitive after a while and starts to feel grindy. It doesn't help either that the world is so littered with animals you can almost aim the rifle randomly and still hit something nor that you'll catch a fish pretty much every time you throw your line in. It would have been better if wilderness encounters reaped higher rewards but were less frequent I feel - but it's nothing gamebreaking.

All in all Red Dead Redemption 2 has all the ingredients to be the epic experience most reviewers make it out to be - but doesn't really come close in terms of execution. Gameplay is outdated and user-unfriendly - it lacks both polish and innovation - balance is a bit off here and there and the game fails miserably all across the line in terms of player interaction. The story and the missions are pretty much set in stone - and it refuses you to equip the chisel.

Most of the time you're not really playing a game - merely watching events unfold the way the developers intended them to - practically sidelined and incapable of influencing anything at all.

I'm almost 15% finished the game overall, which might be a little premature to review, but I just don't know if I can be bothered finishing the game, in all honesty. The things that are bothering me about this game are things that are fundamental to the gameplay anyway, and won't change no matter how much longer I play it.
How to sum up RDR2: It's really not thatFair review of RDR2

I'm almost 15% finished the game overall, which might be a little premature to review, but I just don't know if I can be bothered finishing the game, in all honesty. The things that are bothering me about this game are things that are fundamental to the gameplay anyway, and won't change no matter how much longer I play it.

How to sum up RDR2: It's really not that much fun to play, sadly. Considering I paid a fair sum for it, and am a big RDR, and was waiting ages in anticipation of this game's release, then I ask myself why my PS4 is switched off and I'd rather surf the net instead? I should be glued to the game during any free hours that are available, chomping at the bit to get back from work to get back into the fray , but instead I'm kind of sighing like ok, I'll give it another shot, it's going to get better. The game feels like it's had a lot of love invested in it, but it's unbalanced love, focused too much on unnecessary details and a plethora of tedious tasks/chores and not enough on fun gameplay. You can still communicate an artistic and meticulously-crafted experience, but the game still has to be fun!

Obviously, the users giving it 0/10 are clearly wrong, there's no way it's a 0/10, but, at the same time, the critics giving it 10/10 seem deluded? There's no way a game this flawed is a masterpiece/GOTY candidate. Absolutely no way near it. Horizon Zero Dawn was a 9/10 for me, and it was a pleasure to play. You found yourself struggling to put the controller down. Not so in this case. Regarding the critics reviews of RDR2: is there something more sinister at play...?

Pros:
- When out and about in the open world, the graphics are really nice, the world feels very real and alive, with weather changes, wildlife, nice scenery etc. The storms that come in look really beautiful.
- There's clearly been an investment of time in covering details which make the towns look like real old west towns.
- The option to kill/spare some side characters that you meet adds an element of Telltale to the game, giving you the impression you're making your own story to some extent.

Cons:
- The control system really saps the fun out of the gameplay. It's convoluted, confusing, and very difficult to use, especially during the times when you need to retrieve items fast from your inventory, or switch guns. What were Rockstar thinking, in making the control system this way??
- The movements of Arthur Morgan are clunky and don't feel smooth. He's either sauntering at a snail's pace or running full out. No in between. The playable cut scenes restrict you in many ways, but its' not always clear you're in one. It's frustrating. Gun fighting, running from cover to cover is awkward and doesn't flow well. Fist fighting is mostly just mashing one button and requires very little skill. It's not fun. It's certainly no Batman Arkham.
- It's too much hassle to commit any crimes. I defended myself against an O'Driscoll, beat him up, then the law was called on me. It wasn't clear what the sheriff wanted me to do? It seemed like he was telling me to 'go on, git' (as in get out of here) but when I tried to run he started shooting. I then had to fight off a neverending spawn of deputies and run in my clunky run/swim style for about 15 minutes. The bounty system means its much. much more convenient to just pay off your bounties than continue to be an outlaw, as your crimes never go away.
- The graphics of close up faces aren't anything special for PS4. Detroit Become Human set the bar on graphics and RDR2 is nowhere even close.
- There are just too many tasks/chores to remember! Brush your horse, feed your horse, shave your face, clean your guns, earn money for the camp, hunt food for the camp, wear the right warm/light clothing, take this tonic, eat this food, and so on and so on. The tasks/chores actually do feel like chores, and I want to play a video game, not do chores.

My advice would be if you are a RDR fan and want to give it a shot (no pun intended) then wait until the price goes down, and maybe during that time the game will be patched a bit.

Hopefully Rockstar will read some fan reviews and take note for their next endeavour, as if RDR3 continues along this path, I won't be buying it.…Expand

I WANTED TO LOVE THIS GAME. I can't and that sucks. This is a beautiful game. Maybe the best graphics ever to date in video games. The animations are incredibly detailed. Visually judged alone it would be a great game sadly, it is just a OK game, it suffers from bad controls, nagging issues - the controls are very unintuitive. To me things just seem randomly assigned as they went. This isI WANTED TO LOVE THIS GAME. I can't and that sucks. This is a beautiful game. Maybe the best graphics ever to date in video games. The animations are incredibly detailed. Visually judged alone it would be a great game sadly, it is just a OK game, it suffers from bad controls, nagging issues - the controls are very unintuitive. To me things just seem randomly assigned as they went. This is hardly the biggest issue, but a couple of examples are: on a PS4 controller - buying saddles is X with no confirmation or delay. Drilling down into the saddle menu is also X. Click X too many times and bam saddle bought, money gone - you will buy one by accident - the only question is how long ago did you save and can you afford the mistake. Yet buying stuff from the store is Square and it must be held for a second or two, a timer thingy happens before it is done, giving you a chance to release and cancel. Often pre-viewing an item at the store is X, like spurs - so think you’re going to preview a saddle? nope. There is no buy back or undo option anywhere - selling or buying. Example #2 - Triangle is used to a) mount your horse b) loot dead bodies and c) sit by a fire. 90% of the bodies in the world you loot are going to be shot by a fire. Once looted you no longer can hit triangle to loot again... so you'd think priority of this conflict would go to looting, take it out of the equation - then all that’s left for triangle is are you at a horse or a fire. This is not what they did instead you unintentionally will sit by a fire over and over instead of looting the body next to the fire - this includes the long assed sitting down animation and then the long assed standing up animation before you accidentally, yet inevitably, sit again.
The game is so detailed... and soo “#realism brah”. To its detriment... you can't just have a health, stamina and dead eye meter, no you have to have "cores" that drain and fill differently and make little sense - and there are 400 foods, cigarettes, and booze that all do slightly the same thing yet different. You can't sleep to a specified time, no early rising for you – Morning, noon, evening or night but not 4 or 6 am. Crafting is horribly slow and boring yet pretty core to the game mechanics and so needed – cool bullets/arrows no one will ever use because its one at a freaking time! There are just SO many small frustrating bits that take away from the overall enjoyment. Saving - the autosave will scumbag you sooner or later if you rely on it. If you are mid mission and want to save to maybe go back and try something different or try another approach – nope not allowed because reasons. I turned off autosave and fully rely on being uber diligent with manual saves and every time I see a thing to go check out, go near people/towns, hear “Hey mister” or “HELP” - I save - because my fault or not (more often not), something will go wrong. Be it bugs, glitches or just B.S. If I hit R1 to take cover behind a rock in combat; for god knows what reason I often end up standing on top of the rock eating bullets. Bump - not ram or run down - but nudge a person while on your horse in town and 40 cops and a massive bounty for that evil deed. To add to that fun - NPC’s will constantly be in your way. Crowded market or street, they will be mad at you for following them (regardless of your “good” reputation) as they slowly walk down the only narrow path. They will walk out into the street in front of your horse constantly. There is a Cinematic mode that in theory could be considered an auto-travel so you don't have to do it yourself (tapping X over and over and over) - if you go to the bathroom and come back you will be dead, wanted or your horse will have died. There is no fast travel. From camp after a while but nothing BACK to camp. Stages and trains cost money and you still must get to one to travel to another. On foot Arthur moves just a tad slower than he should until he runs and then you run just a bit faster than the controls really work with. Hunting can be fun and yet it can be the most frustrating thing I've ever voluntarily done to myself. My list goes on and on. For every amazing moment there are 30 little crappy ones sucking the fun out of this game. Just so disappointed. If there was QA that play tested their feedback was ignored, they were awful at their jobs or they hired children who "want to work in video games" for pennies a day instead of QA professionals - standard for the gaming industry and it shows. I am terribly disappointed and all these "Professional" reviewers that gave it “Game of the century” and “10/10” should be ashamed - I will forever come look at a review sites score here before I take anything they say seriously again. I will know if they are just hype reviewers or actually gamers. The hype for this disappointing game was the only 10/10 it deserved. I’m ~30 hours in and just SO DISAPPOINTED.…Expand

I really wanted to love it. The over-world is beautiful and detailed, but my God do the controls suck the fun out of the game. Arthur moves like he has a refrigerator stuck to his back, and don't get me started on the no-fun-allowed law system, not to mention being punished for acting evil to a certain extent. The fishing and hunting are nicely done, however, and for those who enjoyI really wanted to love it. The over-world is beautiful and detailed, but my God do the controls suck the fun out of the game. Arthur moves like he has a refrigerator stuck to his back, and don't get me started on the no-fun-allowed law system, not to mention being punished for acting evil to a certain extent. The fishing and hunting are nicely done, however, and for those who enjoy interactive movies this is a fine "game".…Expand

The best way to immerse a gamer in one's story is to allow that someone to influence it by making it interactive. To involve the player in the decisions that are being made and have whatever that person chooses influence what happens next.

This game doesn't really do that, most of the time it forces it's narrative upon you only allowing the bare minimum in terms of determining it'sThe best way to immerse a gamer in one's story is to allow that someone to influence it by making it interactive. To involve the player in the decisions that are being made and have whatever that person chooses influence what happens next.

This game doesn't really do that, most of the time it forces it's narrative upon you only allowing the bare minimum in terms of determining it's outcome. You're not forging your own unique story here the way you'd expect from a game like this, you're just being pushed down a preset path. You're not riding the horse you're just being dragged along behind it.

And considering where that horse is headed and how obvious it is almost from the get-go, it feels even more frustrating not having at least one hand on the reins.

Point is, if you can't make a story that truly interacts with me, one I feel invested in and one where I'm an active part of it's narrative, I'd rather just see a movie to be honest.

All that being said I still consider this a decent enough game. While gameplay feels very dated and sub-par, severly lacking in both flow and innovation, and the prementioned narrative equally lacking when it comes to interactivity, the world and it's content is quite impressive. Graphics and details are stunning. Also, it is actually rich on content, much of it well-drafted, so there's always something to do.

I already feel I've got my money's worth even though at the same time it's bittersweet thinking of how truly awe-inspiring this game *could* have been. Because it could so easilly have been one of the best games ever, but unfortunately due to poor gameplay decisions it falls way short of that mark. It's a fantastic world they've created, unfortunately it's a world of missed opportunities.…Expand

The game looks good, but the controls are convoluted and it feels very slow and clunky.

I think it's obvious that the developers didn't consider the player at all. The game is in bad need of a quality of life patch, but honestly, I'm gonna be done with it for good by the time they get to making any change patches. So I wouldn't bother.
EDIT: After playing the game for a week, merelyThe game looks good, but the controls are convoluted and it feels very slow and clunky.

I think it's obvious that the developers didn't consider the player at all. The game is in bad need of a quality of life patch, but honestly, I'm gonna be done with it for good by the time they get to making any change patches. So I wouldn't bother.

EDIT: After playing the game for a week, merely because I spent almost $90 (do not buy this version, get the lowest price copy. The items are good for a time, but not unique enough to pay actual money for) on the middle version, my score is remaining at a 6. Every 6-8 review on here hits the nail on the head. The game feels more like a movie and never gets truly fun. I'm halfway through chapter 4, ignoring everything in the open world trying to force my way through missions on hopes that it gets better.

The story isn't really all that good either, aside from character originality and voice acting, the gang gets into trouble in a new area and is forced to move. Rinse and repeat.

The controls still feel awkward after getting used to them. The inventory is miserable. I never know what gun it's going to pull when I hit L1. What weapons I choose don't seem to matter as the game frequently unequips everything except my pistols when I get off my horse. And you can't drop or sell weapons you don't use or want anymore. You're stuck with them, and it will annoy you to the point where you are looking for methods to get rid of them, including letting an alligator bite your arm so you drop the equipped weapon.

The only outside activity is hunting. And if it was more like the bear hunting quest in the beginning of the game, it could actually be pretty fun. But it's not. Tracking system won't help you track anything you haven't seen first. So hunting is reduced to, "Oh hey, there's a bear! Do I have time to kill it?" So much for survival.…Expand

World, characters and setting, well Rockstar nailed it. The issue with this game is the gameplay. Over the many hours I played it was frustrating to say the least, very poor fast travel, replaying missions are not rewarding because you are given a standard load out, and often input lag was significant (played on a pro) It got to a point where I pushed through just playing the story ratherWorld, characters and setting, well Rockstar nailed it. The issue with this game is the gameplay. Over the many hours I played it was frustrating to say the least, very poor fast travel, replaying missions are not rewarding because you are given a standard load out, and often input lag was significant (played on a pro) It got to a point where I pushed through just playing the story rather than explore the beautifully crafted world.…Expand

Beautiful game. Beautiful world, wonderful story I would have no issue rating this 1010 if it wasn't for the lackluster gameplay and clunky controls. If gameplay is your highest priority in a game don't get your hopes up. However if story and visuals are the main priority in a game for you I highly recommend 10/10.

This game is really overrated.
The amazing environment is the only thing that really stands out if you ask me. Controls are bad and every interaction looks slow and clumsy. The menus are outdated. Missions lack variety: most of them consist of several tedious minutes of horse riding and some trivial gunfight... without the rides each mission would probably lasts 5 minutes or less. GameThis game is really overrated.
The amazing environment is the only thing that really stands out if you ask me. Controls are bad and every interaction looks slow and clumsy. The menus are outdated. Missions lack variety: most of them consist of several tedious minutes of horse riding and some trivial gunfight... without the rides each mission would probably lasts 5 minutes or less. Game progression/difficulty WANTED.
The plot becomes interesting halfway through while in the first chapters you have that "nothing important happened today" feeling. The second part of the story and the dialogues are nice.
The soundtrack is ok, moving sometimes but only good as a whole.
Details as growing hair, dirty clothes and other stuff like that are cool but Rockstar should have spend more time improving gameplay mechanics and controls.…Expand

So I am 25% in to this game and constantly saying to myself.. I'm sure its going to get better than this... but no.. not yet.. argh....

The game looks great, almost photo realistic graphics and I have full appreciation for that!
But:
-Controls are so bad... coming from Black ops 4 and Spider man these controls just suck.. no getting used to them they just suck..
-Shootouts areSo I am 25% in to this game and constantly saying to myself.. I'm sure its going to get better than this... but no.. not yet.. argh....

The game looks great, almost photo realistic graphics and I have full appreciation for that!
But:
-Controls are so bad... coming from Black ops 4 and Spider man these controls just suck.. no getting used to them they just suck..

-Shootouts are sooo cumbersome, clunky and just not fun.. I find myself saying fuk I just want this stupid fight over...

- Walking around camp is so slow for some reason, like fingernails down chalkboard

- Missions are dull

- Horse riding is fun for 5 minutes then boring as hell for the next 20 minutes..

- I did a mission last night where I had to deliver letters between 2 lovers on opposing feuding families.. How is that supposed to be fun? or Bad ass?

I like games that make me feel like a super hero or bad ass.. this is just a horse riding and chore simulator!…Expand

The 10 score reviews here must be some hardcore fanboys or Rockstar employee themselves since most of their accounts are only review RDR2 game. On the other hand, those who give 0-3 must be troll PC gamers. Anyway, I myself have played the game for 10 hrs+. Still early, but I do agree with most helpful user reviews here. This game is overrated, the score should be around 7-8. However, IThe 10 score reviews here must be some hardcore fanboys or Rockstar employee themselves since most of their accounts are only review RDR2 game. On the other hand, those who give 0-3 must be troll PC gamers. Anyway, I myself have played the game for 10 hrs+. Still early, but I do agree with most helpful user reviews here. This game is overrated, the score should be around 7-8. However, I give a 8 because I respect the sheer amazing detail Rockstar has put in this game. I will keep short here since many most helpful reviews did a great job of criticizing the bad things. Besides, I might revise my review later once I am done with the game.

Major Cons
- Control is weird and need a lot of memorizing (But become less problem once you get used to it). You may need to check online for clearer explanation of control since ingame does not give you a controller mapping. (why ?)
- No Fast travel in early game ( You need to upgrade camp to get fast travel ability but it costs a lot)
- Law is too restrict. Bumping someone can easily lead to gunfight and you get a fine for murderer. This is not right. In real life situation, you should be able to apologize
- Chores - can't skip taking a bath.
- Lack of freedom in term of choices. Most of the times, you will have only 2 choices, good or bad, nothing in between. For example, there was a main mission that I had to talk with the priests, I could only talked politely with them, like I was interested in their religion, or choked their leader to dead. This felt wrong to me. I should have been able to aim my gun and threaten them to go away.
- No quick save
- Main character attitude is unlikable for me. I personally don't like his voice as well.

In Sum, RDR2 is great in detailed world but not as great in gameplay. It is still a good fun game if you have patience but the realistic should be optional. For people who want fast paced game, devs should give a choice to skip chore scenes and allow fast travel at the beginning of the game.. For those who hasn't played the game yet, I would advise to wait and see if Rockstar will have a patch to tone down the wanted system or not. I love its realistic though but as it stands now my Witcher 3 is much better game in comparison.…Expand

Initially I had a very hard time adapting to the feel of the game and its controls. I think coming from PC to a PS4 exacerbated this, as well as my lack of love for Sony's controllers. At about twelve hours in I was ready to give up; I was considering returning or selling the PS4 Pro bundle, and I also started browsing other games. And while I do still think*This is a updated review.*

Initially I had a very hard time adapting to the feel of the game and its controls. I think coming from PC to a PS4 exacerbated this, as well as my lack of love for Sony's controllers. At about twelve hours in I was ready to give up; I was considering returning or selling the PS4 Pro bundle, and I also started browsing other games. And while I do still think the controls can be cumbersome, now at forty hours in, and having punched horses tethered next to mine too many times, by attempting to mount my horse, I've finally been able to simply get over it. At this point when I do play the game I find it difficult to stop. Graphically the game is stunning (aside from character faces). The audio is the real gem for me - sometimes I wish I can go to sleep with my character parked in one of the minor towns... It's among the best I've ever seen in that department. Further, everything has dialogue. I have no issues with the gun play, and again here, the audio puts the cherry on top. Most of the missions are very engaging with the exception of the scripted chases that get a little cliche. I do wish Rockstar would review the missions in their games where you have to sprint after someone requiring you to tap a button fast enough to cause carpal tunnel - it's seriously getting old and it's in no way fun or enjoyable - it's a chore. I still find the bounty/wanted system a bit wonky; at times, while in a new set of clothes and mask et al, when robbing a train I am quickly identified. The bottom line is this game is worth every penny. There are no micro-transactions (yet) which a lot of developers should take note of. The pace of the game is also perfect; with so much on hand that you can do the pace allows you to thoroughly explore the game and its regions... To the point where I find myself not wanting to move to the next chapter quite yet. This and AC Odyssey are the only two games this year that the asking price is actually worth the product. Anyone owning a console should own this game; I came from PC and purchased a PS4 bundle to get my hands on the game with no regrets. Is it perfect? Nothing is. But it's damn close.

In the end the reader will have to take what I am saying here, and many others, with a grain of salt, as many of us aren't even done with the game. Ideally reviews should only be written after completely seeing a movie, listening to a record, or playing a game. Next time I'll take my own advice and I'll update my review should something need to be added or if my rating changes.…Expand

Rockstar seem to have put immersion and realism ahead of fun as the number one priority. I dont want to shave my beard everyday, manage my weight, and stay on a proper sleep schedule in a video game unless i'm playing Sims. Add in the same clunky mechanic tap-X-to-run gameplay and you have a huge world with tons of wasted potential. The NPC's seem to have the same exactRockstar seem to have put immersion and realism ahead of fun as the number one priority. I dont want to shave my beard everyday, manage my weight, and stay on a proper sleep schedule in a video game unless i'm playing Sims. Add in the same clunky mechanic tap-X-to-run gameplay and you have a huge world with tons of wasted potential. The NPC's seem to have the same exact slighty-over-the-top personalities that were seen in the last installment of GTA, with a cowboy hat slapped on.…Expand

Yeah, everyone knows by now that this game is amazingly huge, beautiful and detailed, but what about the gameplay?
Why does this game want to take the fun out of being an outlaw?
Your wanted level and bounty remain through death. So each time you get into a scrap or get caught doing something dirty your levels will build until you pay them off. Every time you commit any crime there isYeah, everyone knows by now that this game is amazingly huge, beautiful and detailed, but what about the gameplay?
Why does this game want to take the fun out of being an outlaw?
Your wanted level and bounty remain through death. So each time you get into a scrap or get caught doing something dirty your levels will build until you pay them off. Every time you commit any crime there is always a couple witnesses around that you need to chase down. This is fun a couple times until it gets annoying. I robbed a guy fishing out in the middle of nowhere and I get a "Witness" alert. Someone out of view but up on some cliff that I could never see or possibly chase down.
At times this game feels like more chore than game. Here's an example of how I spent my last 90 minutes of play time: The only available story mission was deep south so it was a good 10 minutes horse ride to a new area. The missions was ok and straightforward, involving raiding some bounty hunters and saving a friend. Afterwards I opt to stay and look for look a little longer. Well after maybe 30 seconds a huge posse of lawmen show up "Investigating." So much for looting, because that could have been fun getting some actual reward for the mission. Now I'm running for my life. I lose the law but I'm even further south away from my base camp and Arthur is "exhausted." Don't know why because I sleep every night as soon as it gets dark and eat food often. I try to camp and can't because there is "Activity".. in the whole territory I guess because I'm running further away from this town to try and camp. I'm Wanted in this area so I try to sneak into a town to hire a Stagecoach to take me into a town closer to my gang's camp. The driver won't take me because I'm wanted. The ride on horse looks like 15 minutes at this point and I just want to get to a safe area so I can log out and quit playing for the night. I avoid more lawmen to get to the nearest train station and hire my first train ride to take me somewhere. I get to my destination and my horse is out of range. But, hey! I'm an outlaw... I can just steal a ride right? Arthur still hasn't slept so he can barely run so I try and hold up a carriage passing by. Every single driver either pulls a gun on me or takes off. Not only that but there is a witness to this crime, and lawmen instantly head towards my area and remember, I can barely run. I love how every back country road is packed with traffic so that you can't rob a single person with a chase ensuing... at night. It's like the game was forcing me into a corner, challenging me to not like it.
At that point I spent 10 minutes actually having fun and 80 minutes just traveling or avoiding the law.
Aside from that, every time I'm in camp everyone yells at me for not chipping in to the pot when I donated an entire deer and a couple gold watches just 2 days earlier. I feel all of these people would starve and die without me doing all of the work for them. LOL And then I get 10% of loot taken on missions. Ok.
Other major quips: The icons on the radar and map are so tiny I have to hover over each one to tell what it is. You can tell devs play-tested this on monitors a couple inches from their faces instead of on a flat screen 10 feet away.
The main camp is horribly designed where, at first, nearly every tent looks the same and you wander about hovering over things to figure out where you are. And you better be an inch away from whatever object you are interacting with and no further. And there's no running in base camp because outlaws don't run. I thought the gang would have maybe 5-6 bad hombres in it but there's entire families with women and children. Plus a science nerd and some English geek, of course.
I've lost loot like pelts, including my first legendary bear pelt because I left it on the back of my horse.
My horse teleports to weird places around the map and when I whistle, he returns very slowly and always stops behind a bush.
I get off of a horse and my weapon load out changes and sometimes I start missions with only my pistol and lasso.
Button layouts are random and confusing so there's no wonder that there are hints in the screen corner because I would honestly forget. At one point you need to hold down 3 buttons and a joystick to select items from your inventory. And 10 years later I wish Rockstar would fix the pressing L3 stick causes you to crouch. Annoying.
Finally Arthur is no where near a likeable character like John was. John has the cool gravely voice but Arthur honestly sounds like a dumb hillbilly at times. Many of the main characters have very annoying voices now that I think about it. Not a threatening group at all.
Man it sucks to say all of this, because the original RDR is my favorite game of all time, but it seems my rating is clinging to the Yellow category just due to the graphics and my love of this franchise. I wouldn't fault anyone for rating it less.…Expand

Severely overrated game - I'm surprised how this scored so high. RDR2 is not a bad game as such since it has many great elements like an impressive world, good characters, a lot to do, and... well, that's about it. Controls are terrible, movement sloooooow, gun-play sloppy, poorly designed menus, story pacing way off, world much smaller that it was hyped, many breaking bugs forcing theSeverely overrated game - I'm surprised how this scored so high. RDR2 is not a bad game as such since it has many great elements like an impressive world, good characters, a lot to do, and... well, that's about it. Controls are terrible, movement sloooooow, gun-play sloppy, poorly designed menus, story pacing way off, world much smaller that it was hyped, many breaking bugs forcing the player to restart missions, etc. Way to many things drags the experience down, worst of all, it's simply not fun to play and feels tedious.
Disappointment of the year.…Expand

I stopped playing RDR 1 halfway through the game and while it took a few hours, and I enjoyed some new Rockstar game open world tourism (important for casuals), RDR 2 may go the same way. Good writing and Rockstar presentation again (with every improvement from GTA V, so it's a technical marvel,) but the setting limits the game to absurd GTA gunfights killing dozens, vs. self-seriousI stopped playing RDR 1 halfway through the game and while it took a few hours, and I enjoyed some new Rockstar game open world tourism (important for casuals), RDR 2 may go the same way. Good writing and Rockstar presentation again (with every improvement from GTA V, so it's a technical marvel,) but the setting limits the game to absurd GTA gunfights killing dozens, vs. self-serious cutscenes rendered dumb and unserious by level of violence. Humor is almost essential, with the amount of bloodletting...if you're going to ask me to beat a man to death and murder a witness as a tutorial mission on the game's systems, don't ask me then to empathize, like these are real people to take seriously. I don't think "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" let alone "Dexter" was that obtuse, but here we are in alleged 10/10 masterpiece land.

So I bought a PS4 Pro for this, and slow realization critical consensus is again lemming nonsense, and this game has the exact same problems, is painful. in 2005, what if you asked an average San Andreas player what would suck about GTA if it was limited to bicycles? They would give you a list: the world would feel too big after a while, not in a good way, bike riding would get tedious, the game would rely on shooting mechanics and good cutscenes, which aren't really strong enough to hold up the entire experience, and they might even beg the question, why focus on open world traveling, then, if it's so boring? Oh, and an open world without civilized flourishes would also be strictly a downgrade, even if the resolution went up, because it'd just be samey forests and less interesting small towns, ala San Andreas, nothing impressive there outside Mt. Chilead (which nobody would WANT to ride a bycycle to, btw). As far as I can tell: every last critique applies to both RDR games. Rockstar still can't transcend it. Their games rely on you being gobsmacked by how great and real the world feels, and this ages poorly over years (GTA 3 and San Andreas are now unplayable, I think,) and in real time (you get bored by its impressive-but-samey landscape after a few hours.)

13 years later, despite massive efforts, graphical improvements over GTA V, and a solid effort to make the open world more lootable, interactive (like Bethesda, Ubisoft,) Rockstar hasn't really averted the pitfalls anybody could have told you in 2005. And they haven't realized the self-serious cutscenes can't hold up the gameplay, because GTA satire is actually essential..these people need to be cartoons, or "the story is ludicrous," to quote Maude Lebowski. In worlds where ultraviolence is a given, self-serious is always unserious.…Expand

All the good things you've heard about this game are true. But here's the problem. Most reviews didn't even mention it's flaws.

Red dead 2 has terrible aiming and bad controls overall. It is a slow game with lots of waiting and little action. It is a very very easy game. You might not die more than a couple of times throughout the 50 hour playthrough.
Why the press failed to informAll the good things you've heard about this game are true. But here's the problem. Most reviews didn't even mention it's flaws.

Red dead 2 has terrible aiming and bad controls overall. It is a slow game with lots of waiting and little action. It is a very very easy game. You might not die more than a couple of times throughout the 50 hour playthrough.

Why the press failed to inform buyers about these flaws is something we should all ask ourselves. But these flaws are there and RDR2 is not the ten out of ten they told you it is.…Expand

With all the hype- I thought it's worth giving some warning.
while there is no doubt the game is beautiful, and it's not a total bore (I do believe I will get to finish it), it's play-ability should definitely be put into question.
On the one hand, most of what you have to do in the world are chores. Most of the time is spent horse-riding, and a lot of what you can do is just a perfectlyWith all the hype- I thought it's worth giving some warning.
while there is no doubt the game is beautiful, and it's not a total bore (I do believe I will get to finish it), it's play-ability should definitely be put into question.
On the one hand, most of what you have to do in the world are chores. Most of the time is spent horse-riding, and a lot of what you can do is just a perfectly executed boring activity. I was amazed by level of details they put into the animation and speech during a game of Domino, a game so astonishingly boring I finished it just because I couldn't believe that was really it. And Domino is by no way alone in this game.
On the other hand, are the gun fights, which are surely less boring than Domino but not different by the amount you would expect. Auto-aim in this game is ridiculous- you can hit a hare with a bow while fast driving on horse with little to no effort. Combat is more about not getting hit and healing wounds than its about actually aiming because this part is automatic.
I can usually tolerate boring tasks if they succeed in creating immersion. I did love the boring tasks in Kingdom come deliverance for one because I felled immersed into the character. but what works for a slow paced RPG does not work for a fast action paced shooter like RDR2. There was no way to fill immersed when playing a guy who is pretty much unbeatable from the start.
So far, I would say the best part of this game is the random events. They are interesting enough to go investigate and does not require long travel.…Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
Here's a brief description of one mission.

Your mission is to rob a train. First step is to steal a wagon with an oil barrel on back, which you are going to put on the railway and light on fire so the train will see it from far away and come to a stop. Then you can rob it.

So you look at your mini map and it tells you where to go to steal the wagon. You ride your horse there. This takes 5 minutes. Real world time. Just riding a horse. Along a road you have gone up and down probably 20 times already doing various errands.

The wagon is in an oil field where the workers shoot on sight. Because sometimes the game is realistic to a fault, and then suddenly it's not. You jump the fence, hop on the wagon, get shot a few times -- doesn't matter, you have at least 50 different healing items that restore full health pretty much at all times -- you repeatedly mash X to gallop away to safety. You ride for another 5 minutes to drop off the wagon where it's supposed to go. That was easy, though it did take me three times because once you get close to the wagon area, if you move away too far the mission fails. So my initial idea was to scope the place out, then take cover on some high ground, pick dudes off, lose them in the woods when they come after me, and then drop back into the oil field after drawing most of them out. But nope. So much for open world freedom.

You ride another 5 minutes back to home base to tell home boy you done your job, and he says "cool man." Then you have to complete another mission before you can continue. So you take a kid that talks like the worlds most generic child fishing, and he say's it's boring, and I wholeheartedly agree. Besides the boring nature of the game mechanic, what does fishing do for you? It gives you more health. I already have more health items than I can carry. It's not worth enough to sell, and I don't need money either. The only things to buy are clothing items, everything else the game gives you anyway...

So you do that stupid mission which, start to finish, will chew up twenty minutes in which you are basically doing nothing. Now, back to the train robbery. So you ride back to where you stashed the wagon -- 5 minutes. Then you watch a cutscene, then you got to ride with the gang to the ambush site. This is another 5 minute jaunt, but this time you got the crew trying their durndest to tell side-splitting funnies, but it's typical game dialogue that feels disjointed and unnatural -- like the voice actors recorded at separate places and times. And the dialogue can be ignored, because it's just banter -- it doesn't build characters or move story, it's just non-sense "tough-guy" talk, because everybody knows all tough-guy train robbers do is talk trash to each other constantly, and especially before pulling off a big heist.

Alright, so now, finally, it's train robbin' time. You're ready to get all sweaty palmed and squinty eyed, because you're here to do what you came to do. You've worked almost an hour doing monotonous crap to get to this point. The big dramatic train robbery! Now's the time when you don't mind that big, drawn out cutscene with the tense chord and the beady eyes twitching and the trees drawing long shadows as the train blares it's horn with it's headlight coming round the corner... hell yeah, you can feeeeel it coming...

But wait.. something isn't right. Remember the oil wagon you were going to set on fire? Well, they just put it on the tracks, and hero character stands on top of it with his rifle. What? That wasn't the plan. And the corner the train is coming around clearly isn't far enough away to give the train time to stop... Why did I steal this wagon again?

The other gangsters hide behind the trees, and then real sudden like a generic action track starts up, you get a real fast sweeping shot of the gang in the trees, then the train comes and see's the wagon all of a sudden and just stops. No squeeling brakes, no smoke plumes, no dramatics -- nothing. Then there is a bunch of yelling, and even though you are in charge of this heist somebody is hollering "hey arthur, come do this! Come do that!" So you try to hurry over, but the game has locked running for right now, so you have to walk slowly over to the guys shouting to hurry.

You follow behind your bro who is holding a goodie bag and demanding people to point money inside. Every third person says "no" and you press B when it tells you to punch them in the face. You can't do that or anything else until you are prompted to do so. So you do that for about a minute then the game tells you to go help somebody else. This time bad guys jump into the scene, you hold the trigger which auto-aims onto anybody on the screen, and you pull the other trigger to shoot them. You do that for ten minutes, then you go on another 10 minute horse ride. Mission over. What do you get for all of that? Money that you don't need.

The Wild West as the setting for a highly realistic open world RPG is above all one thing and one thing only: Boring! It is very sad to think about all the effort that was needed to create such a big, marvelously looking and yet so boring open world. Maybe the best part of the game is the bigger cities where this game's visual realism peaks. But the American West of the 1890s is just tooThe Wild West as the setting for a highly realistic open world RPG is above all one thing and one thing only: Boring! It is very sad to think about all the effort that was needed to create such a big, marvelously looking and yet so boring open world. Maybe the best part of the game is the bigger cities where this game's visual realism peaks. But the American West of the 1890s is just too uninteresting and dumb to keep you engaged. Even the Mexican-American War or the American Civil War as a loose historical background would have saved this from being such a boring bummer, but no... So in the end it is all about watching some uninteresting criminal dimwits riding and shooting around somewhere in the pampa. One thing is sure, though: This game has been systematically over-hyped.…Expand

Some of you might wonder why the Critics Score is so high in comparison to User Score. You simply have to invest more playing time than the average critic. 20% into the game you hit a bit of a wall, you begin to no longer enjoy the game on the same level as you did in the beginning and all the beautiful landscapes won't save it. Don't get me wrong RDR2 is a beautiful immerse game but as ISome of you might wonder why the Critics Score is so high in comparison to User Score. You simply have to invest more playing time than the average critic. 20% into the game you hit a bit of a wall, you begin to no longer enjoy the game on the same level as you did in the beginning and all the beautiful landscapes won't save it. Don't get me wrong RDR2 is a beautiful immerse game but as I got older I realized that I needed more content and less tedious mundane tasks that I do from 9-5. It needed to be more than just ride one direction and back to complete a mission.

So, let's get into the review part.

Story:
Last time around I felt more invested in the story. I feel like with every Rockstar game you really care and feel for the characters even though the characters are protagonists with the life of crime. Arthur isn't really a cool character he's just there and whoever you put in his place would be fine. I don't get a sense of his personality to the world. Honestly, if this was GTA 3 and the character didn't talk I would've felt the same way. With all the other characters, every time you do a mission you're like who theis this guy that's giving me this mission, oh okay some random member of the gang. Great... You're not hooked on being that guy or another.

Mission gameplay:
The world is big like really big... like I ride for 15 mins kill someone then realize... I have to ride back now... 30 mins spent on just riding. Shooting is clunky and majority of the time is spent using Dead Eye to kill people. The first person then becomes a bit unplayable. The realistic part is there, you definitely can't just walk towards enemies and kill everyone without hiding. On PC, I think the shooting would've been a bit better, but we shall see when it's released.

Overall experience:
The game is filled with stuff to do but it feels empty... idk maybe I'm just outgrowing single player campaign games. I'm like 20% into it but I decided to play Wow instead after a while.…Expand

So I'm finally back in the real world after a hectic weekend in the wild wild west, and while I was hoping to go back to work bustling with excitement, praising the game I have been looking forward to for so long, I realize that the best way to describe my state of mind ambivalent.

The graphics are amazing, the story is engaging, sound, music and voice acting are on point.
But theSo I'm finally back in the real world after a hectic weekend in the wild wild west, and while I was hoping to go back to work bustling with excitement, praising the game I have been looking forward to for so long, I realize that the best way to describe my state of mind ambivalent.

The graphics are amazing, the story is engaging, sound, music and voice acting are on point.

But the game has some serious flaws that I would like to highlight:
Rockstar decided that they wanted to make this game very realistic and immersive, but somewhere along the line they forgot that it is still a game and should be entertaining as well.. You don’t have to sacrifice fun to make it more immersive, you can have both. “Well you make a better game then, cried the fanboy” I will give an example on how to improve the game, hope that is enough?
In camp you do choirs to boost the morale for your partners in crime, chopping wood for example. I don’t mind doing it, if you actually make it rewarding instead of feeling like a proper choir, we all have enough of those irl.

Chopping wood: You walk up press triangle and watch Arthur do a 10 sec animation of him swinging the axe, then you get to press R2 to see him do it again for 10 sec, R2 and repeat.
Improvement: A minigame where you have to angle the axe correctly with the analog stick to actually hit the wood while timing the swing with R2.

It’s the same scenario with other tasks that you are required to do; Brushing your horse, skinning a animal, cooking, weapon maintenance etc. Implement minigames that is rewarding and challenging and these realistic features becomes entertaining.

My next rant, the interface – Long story short, its overly complicated.

You press L1 to get a equipment-wheel where you browse different weapons, press R1 to change to a different wheel with consumables. Browse between the different items with R2 and lift L1 to equip/consume. It’s complicated, you missclick way too easily and its hard to get a overview on your inventory, esp in a fire fight.

In order to open the world map you have to press Options, wait for 1½ sec for the menu to load and then press X. Why not do like every other game where you press touchscreen and from there you can browse your inventory, journal etc? Now these functions are spread out in different menus without any apperant logic behind.

Shopping is also too complicated. I want to buy a hat and a jacket, here how it goes:
Walk into store
L2 to greet shopkeeper
X to see catalog
You get a realistic catalog with a “root-menu”
Select Clothing
Submenu: Select hats
You get to browse differnet pages in the catalog with drawn pictures of hats and get to select the one you like, press X to view on character.
All of a sudden you have a list of all the hats available and can skip through them all to try before you buy.
From here you actually have to go back to the rootmenu in the realistic catalog and start over and do the whole process all over again. Why not give us an option to press Circle in the hat-menu, select jacket and browse them quick and easy?

A lot of people complain about Arthur being slow and its true, he is. But I don’t think that is such a problem. It gives the game a different feeling that I can appreciate. If it was consistent.. It is not. You can run at a certain phase all over the world, but when you spend time in camp Rockstar decided to cap it by half. I get it, they want the player to really notice the details they invested in the environment here in camp. The problem is, it doesn’t work that way. Don’t force me to stop and appreciate as I will only get annoyed and see even less.

I could continue ranting about the game mechanics, strange UI and wierd priorities; realism vs fun, that you can’t summon your horse, how bleak the gun fights are, awkward controls but I think I have made my point. Its a flawed game with a beautiful facade and a good story. Almost like they did a remake with improved graphics but forgot to hire people to upgrade the game mechanics to the smooth standard we are used to in games in 2018.

I really hope that Rockstar can remove the horse blinders, listen to the legit critique some people try to raise and patch the game to the masterpiece it could have been.. But whom am I fooling?

Reading the professional reviewers whom should be objective when judging a game but won’t even mention to bring up the strange controls and outdated game mechanics, something that would be a major drawback for a total score on any other game out there. R*logo equals quality, through and through. Otherwise you don’t get it, or the game isn’t for you. The end.

But the game is for me - I love open world games in general, I loved RDR1 in particular and have been hyped for a sequel for as long as the rest of you.. It’s just that I cant praise a game this flawed. Please do better.…Expand

+Huge, detailled, and immersive open world.
+Great story, music, and atmosphere.
-Requires a lot of patience, because some parts can take hours and get pretty repetitive.
-Looks horrible on PS4 Pro due to broken 4K checker-boarding (see the tech analysis on Digital Foundry). The game looks so blurry on the Pro it almost gave me a headache.
-No support for HDR and a fake-HDR mode that+Huge, detailled, and immersive open world.
+Great story, music, and atmosphere.

-Requires a lot of patience, because some parts can take hours and get pretty repetitive.
-Looks horrible on PS4 Pro due to broken 4K checker-boarding (see the tech analysis on Digital Foundry). The game looks so blurry on the Pro it almost gave me a headache.
-No support for HDR and a fake-HDR mode that just makes the game look way too dim.…Expand

The slow pace works cause the game is fantastically built. The scenery, the animals, the NPCs...everything is so well thought out. So much so that it's too well thought out. At the end of the day, this is a game and when I come home from work or I'm free from my house chores on the weekend, I don't want to play something that forces me to build the same real life routine. I have aThe slow pace works cause the game is fantastically built. The scenery, the animals, the NPCs...everything is so well thought out. So much so that it's too well thought out. At the end of the day, this is a game and when I come home from work or I'm free from my house chores on the weekend, I don't want to play something that forces me to build the same real life routine. I have a routine. I don't need another.

Fast travel? What a useless feature in this game. I thought long and hard about doing the unlimited gold bars glitch because I don't want to ruin the in-game experience. That said, I decided to go ahead and use the glitch as it meant that I can afford trains now. I can finally buy tickets anywhere and not ride a horse for 10-15 minutes WITHOUT holding my controller. I can't understand why they wouldn't add a "skip to location" function with a small load. It's brutal. It's legitimately terrible that everytime I need to go anywhere, I end up going into the cinematic mode and walking away from the game for 10 minutes or until I hear gun shots. That's unacceptable to the experience.

Everything about maintaining a horse and my health should be optional. Again, I pick up a game and I expect a game, not the Sims.

Great games shouldn't have engineers in charge of user experience.…Expand

Years waiting for this game that was promised as a Wild Wild West GTA. It turned out it is the most overrated game. Huge world, but graphics are nothing specials. It copies ideas from other games (Witcher, Sniper) but doesn't make it correct. Story is slow and nothing spectacular.
There were better games in the last years: Witcher, GTA, Tomb Raider, Spiderman Horizon, God Of War, A WayYears waiting for this game that was promised as a Wild Wild West GTA. It turned out it is the most overrated game. Huge world, but graphics are nothing specials. It copies ideas from other games (Witcher, Sniper) but doesn't make it correct. Story is slow and nothing spectacular.
There were better games in the last years: Witcher, GTA, Tomb Raider, Spiderman Horizon, God Of War, A Way Out, Life is Strange... millions.…Expand

The 10s are coming from XBox fan boys still disappointed they can't play God of War. All the complaints about clunky controls, bad game-play & movement, etc. are true. Other issues - tedious and boring missions, no character development (no skill tree). Loved RD1 and I really wanted this to be a great game but its a huge disappointment. Quite simply, they blew it. Great graphics do notThe 10s are coming from XBox fan boys still disappointed they can't play God of War. All the complaints about clunky controls, bad game-play & movement, etc. are true. Other issues - tedious and boring missions, no character development (no skill tree). Loved RD1 and I really wanted this to be a great game but its a huge disappointment. Quite simply, they blew it. Great graphics do not alone make a great game!…Expand

They set the game in 1899, so I guess they wanted their control scheme out of the same era. The game controls like a drunk oxen trudging through cold molasses. The run and gun gameplay is some of the worst I've ever seen since the PS2 era. I had to constantly look up how to do things, nothing is ever explained, and i think i'm getting carpel tunnel syndrome from mashing x so damn manyThey set the game in 1899, so I guess they wanted their control scheme out of the same era. The game controls like a drunk oxen trudging through cold molasses. The run and gun gameplay is some of the worst I've ever seen since the PS2 era. I had to constantly look up how to do things, nothing is ever explained, and i think i'm getting carpel tunnel syndrome from mashing x so damn many times just to run (you know, the movement speed that should be default and has been in every decent game in the last two decades).

Barring those gross --and in my opinion negligent-- deficiencies, what the game does well it does very well. The environmental design is top notch from lighting to art direction to sound design, all incredible and amazing. It's a shame we have to experience all of it through the absolutely inexcusably bad player interface.

It's a shame, as this game would have easily been a 9, maybe even a 10 if Rock$tar wasn't stuck in the 19th century when it came to controls. As it stands now, I can barely manage to play a few hours at a time before walking away for a day or two in frustration.…Expand

Agree with all the other negative reviews. Stopped playing after approx 8 hours as I couldn't be bothered to continue through all the glitches and control mess. I really hope Rockstar will patch these issues, as the game looks and sounds fantastic.

For the long version, I liked this game quite a bit, but the gameplay is extremely sluggish and the controls are stiff, it's really what ruins the fun of the game as a whole. To be fair though, I liked most of the things in the game, but again you should look for something else if you like extremely vivid and fast gameplay.

I thought God of war was just good, but nothing spectacular, but at least it was quite enjoyable to play.
This one is not even that. Kinda disappointing.
Lets start with graphics- its beautiful and breathtaking, game world is vast and full of details. Game is very immersive and number of small mechanics is up the roof. But but BUT- it not fun to play. This is my biggest gripe with thisI thought God of war was just good, but nothing spectacular, but at least it was quite enjoyable to play.
This one is not even that. Kinda disappointing.
Lets start with graphics- its beautiful and breathtaking, game world is vast and full of details. Game is very immersive and number of small mechanics is up the roof. But but BUT- it not fun to play. This is my biggest gripe with this game and biggest disappointment about it. It just boring and tedious and all these mechanics (shaving, slow walking, slow buying, slow crafting, big world to traverse with lack of proper fast travel, horses that die easily and cant run for long, mashing X when riding) add up to a very unpleasant experience. Controls are godawful bad and unintuitive, i make mistakes when trying to do ordinary things like talking to people or change weapons. Shooting is also bad, with character that reacts with slow delay after you press button, and lack of proper cover system (sometimes he glues to cover, sometimes not, this is ridiculous). Add to that that bad controls and its disaster.
They put a lot of realism into this game, but killing 20 enemies in fight destroys it and breaks immersion.
World is beautiful and vast, but also empty and boring to explore. Many missions are just ride for 10 minutes, shoot someone, go back for another 10 mins. Fast travel is not easily available (you have to improve your camp) and not from every place and it costs money.
Overall RDR2 is huge disappointing. Gow4 wasnt perfect, but is certainly better than this.…Expand

Overproduced. That's the word I'd use for RDR2. I think this game may have shown us the "uncanny valley" of simulation vs gaming. The attention to detail in some aspects is certainly impressive, but at the same time it doesn't quite hit that level of full realism that maybe, someday, games will have.

Before there's any pushback, I'm around Chapter 4 so this isn't a situation of "wellOverproduced. That's the word I'd use for RDR2. I think this game may have shown us the "uncanny valley" of simulation vs gaming. The attention to detail in some aspects is certainly impressive, but at the same time it doesn't quite hit that level of full realism that maybe, someday, games will have.

Before there's any pushback, I'm around Chapter 4 so this isn't a situation of "well get past the first few hours it gets better." I understand what they were going for with having to balance everything, but the controls are so fiddly it often actively fights you from doing anything. If nothing else, I think this game has made me realize WHY studios put in shortcuts and unrealistic animations etc so that the core of gameplay is smoother and more fun.

There is fun to be had here, in short bursts though. When I was doing something like shooting up a logging camp full of a rival gang, it was a blast, but those kind of moments seem few and far between punctuated by long stretches of time of slowly searching through cabinets, riding your horse across a surprisingly empty map, making sure you eat but not too much now, methodically hunting, and juggling things at the campsite.

I think RDR2 may have taken my top spot as the most overrated game of all time; at least this generation certainly. For the hardcore simulationist types, it's probably a dream come true, I just wish there was a lot more "game" inside this fiddliness.…Expand

I wanted to like this game but is so tedious and slow. You get wanted for people just walking in to you. They can shoot at you but if you defend yourself you get instantly wanted. Pelts just randomly disappear from your horse and you can only carry one big pelt at a time, so you must go back and forth to camp if you want to donate them.
The horse can just run in ta a tree like a car. AreI wanted to like this game but is so tedious and slow. You get wanted for people just walking in to you. They can shoot at you but if you defend yourself you get instantly wanted. Pelts just randomly disappear from your horse and you can only carry one big pelt at a time, so you must go back and forth to camp if you want to donate them.
The horse can just run in ta a tree like a car. Are you hunting and kill an animal to close to a quest it will no longer be available for some time so you just wasted 15min of travel. You can´t follow the road automatically like in the first game so you have to actively steer all the time and the game loves to send you all over the place.And the need to it buy be cool at first but this is not a survivor game. It feels like they went for to much realism which is fine to a certain extent but it doesn't fit this game in my opinion. And its poorly implemented so most things just feel like a chore.
So many cheap deaths from e.g. bounty hunters spawning super close to you. And if your horse dies from said bounty hunters , the one you been grooming and feeding a long time? it's just gone forever no options to go back from a earlier save its just gone.…Expand

This game looks gorgeous, but is simply not fun - many players will not want to admit this, given the hype and the expectation, but while I usually have to make an effort to STOP playing a game, with RD2 it is an effort to CONTINUE playing, hoping that it will pick up.

I do not play video games to simulate mundane demands that are bothersome in reality. Shaving and bathing? And havingThis game looks gorgeous, but is simply not fun - many players will not want to admit this, given the hype and the expectation, but while I usually have to make an effort to STOP playing a game, with RD2 it is an effort to CONTINUE playing, hoping that it will pick up.

I do not play video games to simulate mundane demands that are bothersome in reality. Shaving and bathing? And having to individually scrub EACH LIMB?!?!! Watching your weight?!?! Changing clothes for the weather? Why not brush your teeth and rinse your underwear? Maybe trim your nails and change your grandpa's catheter?

The combat is much less cinematic and the fist fights are laborious. LA Noire had a better fist fight system! There seems to be no fast travel, excepting the train, and it's surprisingly dull to explore. Maybe play straight through the storyline if you must, but don't expect to have a lot of fun roaming. The script is decent and the acting is good, but the storyline seems telegraphed a LOOOOOOONG way off - I'm pretty sure I know what REALLY became of that Blackwater money....

Far Cry 5, for example, is much more fun - you run around and blow stuff up!! That's what games are for.…Expand

Gets Very Very Very Boring Riding a Horse.the Game mode is Fine,but. once that has been completed,the game gets Dull,unless you like a Horse riding sim. it seems ROCKSTAR is Herding up Some Cash Cows.you put the game on play it for twenty minutes,then turn it of. Cue the MICRO transactions.Gets Very Very Very Boring Riding a Horse.the Game mode is Fine,but. once that has been completed,the game gets Dull,unless you like a Horse riding sim. it seems ROCKSTAR is Herding up Some Cash Cows.you put the game on play it for twenty minutes,then turn it of. Cue the MICRO transactions. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$…Expand

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game that does everything in its power to force you to play it one way. It has the illusion of being an open world game, but there are very limited things you can do.

First off the bounty system is broken. If you try to be an outlaw you will have a bounty placed on you. From time to time magical bounty hunters who seem to have cell phones and the ability toRed Dead Redemption 2 is a game that does everything in its power to force you to play it one way. It has the illusion of being an open world game, but there are very limited things you can do.

First off the bounty system is broken. If you try to be an outlaw you will have a bounty placed on you. From time to time magical bounty hunters who seem to have cell phones and the ability to teleport always find you. Odds are they will kill you because the shooting mechanics in this game are very weak. Thats par for the course with Rock Star games. Robbing a train in single player outside of a mission is rather pointless. Once you dispatch all the guards on the train who are immediately alerted to your activities, the train comes to a screeching halt. This happens without fail and more law men appear out of no where and they will continue to do so. Sure you can try and rob a train, but it will end up costing you so much more in the long run.

Truthfully this game wants you to just play the story missions. Hunting is a complete waste of time and you make so little money doing it, that its not worth doing at all. The game is at its best when you stick to the story. The map size is not the biggest they have ever made. Sure it takes forever to get anywhere and fast travel isn't really a thing. Sure you can hop on a train or take a stage coach, but the stage coach wont take you if you have a bounty.

The game only holds an sense of realism onto the player. The world and all the NPCs in it seem to be able to do whatever they like without consequence. Stop a murder by killing someone and you will likely be reported for murder. The game doesn't want you to be an outlaw although your character is and if you try to be one it will punish you.

Honestly for all the hype this game is a huge disappointment and missed the mark. It isn't even close to being as good a game as GTA V. I commend them for trying, but it is truly limited by the time period. Whats really disappointing is they didn't really improve upon Red Dead Redemption. I would dare say that game was better than this one.

Also at the time of this writing there is no multiplayer. Even when it comes out there won't be much to do. This game will be forgotten in no time because it just isn't that fun. They tried to put fun things in it, but it isn't enough to make it enjoyable. For instance you can put a mask on your character when committing crimes. Despite this everyone knows who you are immediately, no matter what. Makes me wonder why this mechanic is even in the game. Seems to me it was just a story mechanic.

I would say either don't buy the game or wait for a sale. Also play it with a pillow near by because its a snooze fest. If you have anger issues avoid this game as it will make you want to punch anything around you.…Expand

NDLR: Open world immersion is perfect. Bad UI/UX. Base features to unlock!

This game is really good if you look everything, but, you have to be passionate to give it a 10/10.
For me it doesn't deserve it, a lot of things ruined the experience and make the game an annoying one.
Open-World
Simply the best experience ever: beautiful, living, immense, trees, animals, atmosphere,NDLR: Open world immersion is perfect. Bad UI/UX. Base features to unlock!

This game is really good if you look everything, but, you have to be passionate to give it a 10/10.
For me it doesn't deserve it, a lot of things ruined the experience and make the game an annoying one.

Character/Horse/Weapons
A lot of customization, it is good for the online mode later.
Too much unnecessary stats (weight, food/drinks), different bars (health, energy..) with a secondary bar under it! Too complicated, at the end I eat the same thing every time and don't think to use drinks because it is too much. A single bar for the 3 stats which refills with time would be easier and perfect (and drink to have an extended bonus)

Camp
Your buddies are kids, incapable to eat for themselves. Why I would stay in a band like that?
Every time after a mission, you have to do chores, feed your band...

UI/UX
Bad. Really bad.
- I took the train. and.. oh my horse is too far, I lost it, and with all my weapons on it. I have to go back and waste 30min. Later you can unlock the feature to retrieve your horse at your camp...
- Fast travel: you can unlock it after (why?! is a base feature) and you have to chose the destination on a list! it doesn't show the map!
- Item management/inventory. Worst ever. The game keeps telling me I don't have enough places to get all the loot on animals. I try to clean but I don't know which parts I have to empty, or is this separate container?
Same for materials: Can not see the list of skins I need. And different NPC needs different skins. So every time you have to talks to the NPC to see the list and remember who needs what. You can't have a tracker on the screen to know what you want get.
Pad is for changing the camera! No. Pad is for map. I never change the camera, or wants a "cinematic" mode, I want fast access to the map.
A lot more...
- NPC reactions if you hurt him by accident with these bad controls.

Missions/Story
Simply boring.
Each missions are: Go to point B from A. Ride and listen to the dialogue (80%). Do an action/fighting (20%). Listen to dialogue. End.
Too much dialogues, slow riding phases.

This game is more a slow-real cowboy Role-Play game than an action game.…Expand

I didn't finish the game, didn't have the patience to do so. Having seen the professional reviews averaging 97.. I thought I was in for a treat. I enjoyed RDR and GTA games since PS2 era but this..this game.. its not RDR or GTA it is something else. Call it a wild west simulation, but please don't call this RDR. The game is tedious..not at some point.. itSummary: Beautiful but tedious.

I didn't finish the game, didn't have the patience to do so. Having seen the professional reviews averaging 97.. I thought I was in for a treat. I enjoyed RDR and GTA games since PS2 era but this..this game.. its not RDR or GTA it is something else. Call it a wild west simulation, but please don't call this RDR. The game is tedious..not at some point.. it was tedious from the very beginning till I stopped. I kept telling myself it will get better! It must! But then I start to read other user reviews and it sunk on me.. It won't get better. RENT before buying, if you don't like the first 5-10 hours, you will not like the next 50 hours.…Expand

It is a pretty game, is does contain a huge amount of depth and realism, and the main story is good and engaging. However, outside of these positives, lie a ton of negatives that critics seems to be deliberately ignoring....

The bounty system is just horrible. Anything bad you do results in a bounty being put on your head (which increases if you do more bad things) - you have noIt is a pretty game, is does contain a huge amount of depth and realism, and the main story is good and engaging. However, outside of these positives, lie a ton of negatives that critics seems to be deliberately ignoring....

The bounty system is just horrible. Anything bad you do results in a bounty being put on your head (which increases if you do more bad things) - you have no choice put to pay off the bounty. If you do not bounty hunters randomly spawn and will shoot you to death. They will shoot you to death because 1) The computer has a very good shot and 2) because the shooting mechanic is so badly implemented that you will really struggle to fend off more than 2 of them. There is also an issue that NPC's assault you with abandon but, as soon as you defend yourself, you have a bounty marked on you. This, combined with the poor shooting system, means you spend most of your time avoiding combat - it's so weird because I was expecting to be able to cause havoc, instead I can't risk it because money is scarce and the bounty's so frequent. A stifling game mechanic.

The realism and depth. The game is realistic, so realistic that it is boring because it is so like real life. You have to cook, you have to dress accordingly, you have to brush your horse, the list goes on and on and on. I'm surprised they didn't make you take your turn to wash the dishes in camp in order to keep harmony. I understand realism and why it is important in games like this (large, cinematic games) but the depth here doesn't add anything to the game except excess hours spent by the player doing these chores instead of actually engaging in the game. 'Depth' is fast becoming a code word in the gaming world for 'needlessly tedious tasks' but is defended with the 'realism' mantle. Realism and realistic are not the same things - I want the game to give me a sense of a real world, I do not want it to mimic my actual life. I play games to have fun, not to cook herbs I found.

Flawed features. The hunting system works to a degree but has a number of issues. The rewards for hunting are pitiful and, given the time it takes to hunt, as well as the lack of space to store hunted animals, it is pretty much a redundant feature.
The poker game in-game is nothing short of a joke. Don't even bother playing it as you will lose money if you play more than, say, 20 hands against the AI.
Travel. By far the biggest problem. It takes ages to navigate this map - not because it is so big - but because you pretty much have to travel with your horse the whole time. Oh, and you cannot even follow set paths, so you have to control the giddy bastard for the entire time.
Shooting system. Poor, very twitchy and inaccurate - not at all fun to use.
Crafting. Requires hunting stuff. Hunting stuff is very time-consuming and, by an large, boring.

Controls. They are awkward. It does not feel smooth nor intuitive. They aren't game breaking by any means but they could be a damn sight better.

It is another game that equates quantity with quality, a trend in the gaming world whereby if you have massive crafting menu's and the ability to brush your teeth manually you're somehow revolutionising the industry. Maybe I'm the only gamer who wants the games to be, first and foremost, fun? I suspect there will be patches changing certain aspects of the game and, until they happen, I'd avoid buying the game. I'm playing now and wondering why I continue to do so because, after getting out of the snow section (the very first part of the story), everything has become a lot more tedious and dull. 10 out of 10 is honestly a joke score - that indicates perfection, and this game comes nowhere near that.…Expand

EDIT 11/14: So I stopped playing the game a couple of weeks ago. The bounty system is so extremely broken that I've just totally given up. The lack of fast travel is beyond idiotic, until these issues are fixed, which I doubt they will be, no updates since launch, I cannot play this game, I want to be an outlaw, but the game punishes you for being an outlaw with it's broken bountyEDIT 11/14: So I stopped playing the game a couple of weeks ago. The bounty system is so extremely broken that I've just totally given up. The lack of fast travel is beyond idiotic, until these issues are fixed, which I doubt they will be, no updates since launch, I cannot play this game, I want to be an outlaw, but the game punishes you for being an outlaw with it's broken bounty system, and your a **** outlaw, wtf.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS REVIEW. 12 hours in. There are no spoilers since I'm not that far into the game, everything I state will not ruin anything. I am Brutallyhonestgamer on YT, so those that know my vids know I am not paid or here to sugar coat things but give my honest opinion.I've never played the first game, so this is my first experience, here are my first impressions of the game.

What I want to focus on are some of the annoyances of the game, so maybe it will help people avoid, or find a better way for certain situations. We all know the game is very pretty, the sounds and music are all great, so there's no point on focusing on that. The game play overall is good with some annoyances that I will detail below. So let's get started.

To big for its britches. That's probably the biggest thing so far, and what I mean by this is that I'm 12 hours into the game and I still kinda feel like I'm playing a tutorial. I've just started to expand outside of Valentine, and just recently after 12 hours, unlocked the guy that I can sell stolen goods to. This is kind of unacceptable, as it's already hard enough to come by money, and it's very easy to get a bounty on you. Also, 12 hours in and I don't know anything more about the story, I know something happened in Blackwater, but I don't know what, I don't know the significance of it, I don't know why I should care about any of the characters. I keep doing missions for people but don't seem to be expanding on anything. I assume this will change, but still, this far into a game, I was hoping for a little bit of light shed on the situation. The dialogue and all that is great, don't get me wrong, I just feel the game is to slow.

The saving is **** For those that never played the first game, you have to go into the options and then to story to save a game. Why isn't there a save/load right at the menu?? I lost my favorite horse and **** before I was told you can actually manually save. If you don't manually save before a random encounter and you screw it up, it's over, you don't get a second chance, which brings me to bull**** point #2. The first gun fight I was in, quick draw, the tutorial instructions started in the top left corner of the screen, then moved to the bottom, so I missed the 2nd set of instructions, was killed, and then could not try it again. **** Also a random stage coach came out of nowhere, killed my horse and me, and bull****, could not restore a point before that, so now the horse is lost.

Where's my hat? The hat is **** You constantly lose your hat, it's annoying as hell so I've basically given up on it.

Bounty. Bounty is **** I had a $200 Valentine bounty and nobody seemed to care while in town. I was actually able to go into the sheriffs office, have them pay me for doing bounty missions. The bounty seems to only matter when you get bounty hunters that are impossible to kill coming after you. When they kill you, the bounty isn't collected and it goes away, you still have it until you pay it off. Secondly the whole crime system seems broken. You can do what you want as long as nobody is around, ok that's fine, but if someone shows up later and you are still in the vicinity, you are assumed the criminal. I found this to be the case whether the body was hidden or not, also hiding from the law is impossible, so don't try it, they will find you, no matter how well hidden in bushes or whatever, you have to outrun them.

Whores please, no? So 12 hours in and you can't sleep with whores, when the option comes up, both decisions are NO, I assume this will change once i get to a certain point in the game, but, 12 hours in and still haven't unlocked all the functions of the game, are you kidding me?

Borrowing vs stealing. This is mega **** So there's an early mission where you borrow a horse. Ok fine, you can return it and you get honor points for it, but if you need a horse for something else, then your a horse thief and you get bounty. What the hell. There's no way to tell.

Fist Fighting. You get one tutorial and no reminders. So when you get used to left trigger to aim and right trigger to attack, by the time i got to my next fight I forgot the game mechanics change to square/circle, why couldn't LT be block and RT be punch? You could have triangle to pull gun, no reason to change

Lasso hassle. The lasso is complete bull****, especially trying it on horseback, holy crap is is hard to maintain stride, aim, lasso, then release lasso.…Expand

The story and the attention to detail from Rockstar is great in this game, but the gameplay is just bad, for example the controls seem to be an after thought. Also all these small things you have to do are just not fun, I don't want to spend half my time looting dead bodies, cleaning my horse, shaving, and all the other small things Rockstar has made necessary. Also whose dumb idea was itThe story and the attention to detail from Rockstar is great in this game, but the gameplay is just bad, for example the controls seem to be an after thought. Also all these small things you have to do are just not fun, I don't want to spend half my time looting dead bodies, cleaning my horse, shaving, and all the other small things Rockstar has made necessary. Also whose dumb idea was it that guns should stay on the horse.…Expand

If you don't have ONE hour in front of you, you can do nothing in this game...
Illegal activities are almost mandatory to enjoy the game.
You spend most of your time riding.
The inventory .... scroll over 50 weapons each time ...
And the realism... Your horse don't appears next to you if you whistle him. But it can be teleport in a stable or carrying a hundred weapon...

I didn't know what to expect getting into this, having never played the first. I was, however, quite hyped up based on the concept as well as footage, and being a big fan of GTA since GTA 2 (don't know how I missed red dead 1 thinking back on it..). Because I was hyped, I really wanted to like it. So when, in the first hour of gameplay I felt as though something was missing, and that thisI didn't know what to expect getting into this, having never played the first. I was, however, quite hyped up based on the concept as well as footage, and being a big fan of GTA since GTA 2 (don't know how I missed red dead 1 thinking back on it..). Because I was hyped, I really wanted to like it. So when, in the first hour of gameplay I felt as though something was missing, and that this game might actually be... not good, I pushed that feeling back because I knew it must get better. I played for another 6 hours or so, and it didn't. Don't get me wrong, the environment is absolutely beautiful, and the physics engine, and the cinematic camera are both terrific elements. Then there's the story, which is actually quite compelling even though I've never needed a good story to enjoy a game, but there's just one gigantic issue with this game...

It's BORING. Sooooo boring. The gameplay really is complete **** by modern standards. Gunplay is terrible, controls are clunky as can be, nothing feels natural, you spend far too much time traveling and not enough playing. The 6 hours I've put in felt so forced. Part of me wants to see the rest of this beautiful world, and play out the story that will no doubt be excellent, but I just can't bring myself to play it. To me, it feels like a TV show, a passive sort of entertainment, and that is a problem. I find myself considering playing but instead turning on netflix because it doesn't require I hold a controller. And it honestly is heartbreaking because I really was itching for a big open world game like this to hop into, but this just doesn't do it for me.

I suppose you could say it is highly realistic what with having to brush your horse, shave, eat, feed your horse, grab weapons from the saddle every damn time, ride long distances of mostly empty land. It's all very much like the Wild West we know from stories and shows and movies. The key difference though - movies don't follow every hour of every day of a cowboy. They highlight the exciting parts which are few and far between. They know the rest is just boring AF. This game seems to have forgotten that. I respect the realism while pointing out that it makes for garbage gameplay and enjoyment.

I spent $100 for the Deluxe Edition, and I regret every dollar of it. Save your money and watch a stream, it's about as engaging as actually playing the game. What a sad state.…Expand

Firstly, I have never played a perfect ten title in 35+ years of video gaming. Red Dead Redemption 2 is certainly not the exception. An honest review cannot attempt to balance out bogus reviews by countering the score in favor of Rock Star Games. The unwarranted reviews must be reviewed and removed by a moderator. The gameplay and audio are compelling and immersive to a degree, but itFirstly, I have never played a perfect ten title in 35+ years of video gaming. Red Dead Redemption 2 is certainly not the exception. An honest review cannot attempt to balance out bogus reviews by countering the score in favor of Rock Star Games. The unwarranted reviews must be reviewed and removed by a moderator. The gameplay and audio are compelling and immersive to a degree, but it becomes a wash and repeat cycle fairly quickly. The controls, however, are not intuitive and remain confusing throughout the game. The graphics are realistic and compliment the atmosphere. The gameplay is clunky to a degree while offering plenty of options that further deteriorate the gameplay into a grind fest. Frankly, the game is boring. Better luck next time Rockstar! You must earn your score of ten after many years of overhyped production.…Expand

I liked the first RDR. Despite the fact it didn’t grip or didn't thrill me as GTA did, it certainly had a personality all of its own and western plains never looked so good. I could look past the clunkiness of the controls and the hassle of the fast travel system and enjoy what it offered – a sprawling western adventure – albeit a rather shallow one.

Fast forward a decade and finally,I liked the first RDR. Despite the fact it didn’t grip or didn't thrill me as GTA did, it certainly had a personality all of its own and western plains never looked so good. I could look past the clunkiness of the controls and the hassle of the fast travel system and enjoy what it offered – a sprawling western adventure – albeit a rather shallow one.

Fast forward a decade and finally, we’ve been given the sequel (prequel?) and my hopes for this game were that Rockstar would hopefully improve on the negatives of the first game to bring us another sprawling western but, this time alive with a living breathing world full of adventure and action because – it’s a game, right?

10-12 hours in on chapter 3 and I have to admit that it’s been a grind to get this far. Of those 10-12 hours, I would wager that only an hour of that has been actual action. The rest has been horse riding, performing menial tasks, walking around aimlessly (and slowly) and cut-scenes.
Not only that but, they have not addressed the two biggest issues from the first game. The controls and fast travel. As I said higher up, I could overlook the issues in the first game because it was last gen and what they achieved irrespective of issues, was marvellous. They don’t have that crutch this time and for the length of time this has been in development, these issues which are central to the playability of the game should have been addressed.

1) The Controls – The controls are reminiscent of Resident Evil. A slow-burning horror game where they work by creating tension. They don’t work in a western where you need to move, sometimes very quickly, in reaction to events. They are cumbersome and unintuitive and as someone else has posted, they make Arthur appear arthritic in his movements. The buttons you have to manipulate to perform the most mundane task is ridiculous and far too many times, I have shot people in the face because the R2 button which is used for shooting from the hip is also used for performing actions.

2) Fast Travel – if I thought fast travel in the first game was a ballache to use, the fact they have hidden it in RDR2 is a monumental mistake. Rockstar in trying to create a sense of immersion want gamers to ride their horse across the plains to get from A to B – every time. That’s fine if the ride is 5 or even 10 minutes, but, we’re talking upwards of an hour in some cases. This is a game remember. It’s for enjoyment. I do not want to simulate the life of a cowboy down the nth degree. I want to cut out the real-time inconsequentiality to get to the meat of the task. I don’t like travelling anywhere as it is, so why the f**k would I want to travel in real-time in a game. It’s a colossal waste of time and is the main issue of boredom.

3) Cut-scenes – I get it; they drive the story or give background. However, they start to jar when they are 15 minutes long and I don’t want to see a cut-scene every time I perform a menial action.

4) Stats – I mean come on; a sense of reality is one thing – total immersion is entirely another. Like in GTA SA, I now have to look after myself by eating, drinking, wearing the right clothes and not pushing myself too hard. Not only that, but I also have to take care of my horse! Cue more cut-scenes, more time wasting and more banality. It didn’t work in GTA SA and it doesn’t work here. Again, this is a game and I don’t want to have to have to worry about my characters well-being. It should be a given that he looks after himself.

There are many more issues I could list but, those four are primary for me. Reading between the lines of reviews and gamer comments, some appear to be in clear denial and I think that is simply because it’s Rockstar and Red Dead Redemption 2. They are refusing to acknowledge its genuine shortcomings preferring instead to regale its beautiful environment. However, many games have beautiful environments such as; The Witcher 3, Horizon, ACO etc, and all these games incorporate stellar gameplay mechanics and do not burden the player with unnecessary faff that detracts from the adventure.

Would ACO be a better game if you had to travel the length and breadth of Greece by horse and boat? Nope. In fact, do people who are raving about RDR2 play any open world games without using fast travel? I doubt it and that in itself is a contradiction by those proclaiming RDR2’s realism as the defacto reason for its immersion. A game is an escape for fun but, when that fun is duller than ditchwater, then it’s no longer a game. RDR2 is less an action game and more a simulation of life as a cowboy but, it’s not a particularly interesting one because too much needless nonsense bogs it down making it a chore to play.

RDR2 is quite simply, a glorious looking world saddled with a shallow and monotonous gaming experience made worse by mechanics that are a decade old.…Expand

I really really wanted to love this game but.. I don't even like it. It looks amazing... Granted but it's realism taken too far. I'm an older gamer and all I want to do after a hard day at work is relax and not having to worry about gun oil and coffee brewing. As others have said, controls are clunky and not very organic. I'll stick with Odyssey and Forza ..

The realism and depth. The game is realistic, so realistic that it is boring because it is so like real life. You have to cook, you have to dress accordingly, you have to brush your horse, the list goes on and on and on. I'm surprised they didn't make you take your turn to wash the dishes in camp in order to keep harmony. I understand realism and why it is important in games like thisThe realism and depth. The game is realistic, so realistic that it is boring because it is so like real life. You have to cook, you have to dress accordingly, you have to brush your horse, the list goes on and on and on. I'm surprised they didn't make you take your turn to wash the dishes in camp in order to keep harmony. I understand realism and why it is important in games like this (large, cinematic games) but the depth here doesn't add anything to the game except excess hours spent by the player doing these chores instead of actually engaging in the game. 'Depth' is fast becoming a code word in the gaming world for 'needlessly tedious tasks' but is defended with the 'realism' mantle. Realism and realistic are not the same things - I want the game to give me a sense of a real world, I do not want it to mimic my actual life. I play games to have fun, not to cook herbs I found.

The bounty system is just horrible. Anything bad you do results in a bounty being put on your head (which increases if you do more bad things) - you have no choice put to pay off the bounty. If you do not bounty hunters randomly spawn and will shoot you to death. They will shoot you to death because 1) The computer has a very good shot and 2) because the shooting mechanic is so badly implemented that you will really struggle to fend off more than 2 of them. There is also an issue that NPC's assault you with abandon but, as soon as you defend yourself, you have a bounty marked on you. This, combined with the poor shooting system, means you spend most of your time avoiding combat - it's so weird because I was expecting to be able to cause havoc, instead I can't risk it because money is scarce and the bounty's so frequent. A stifling game mechanic.

Flawed features. The hunting system works to a degree but has a number of issues. The rewards for hunting are pitiful and, given the time it takes to hunt, as well as the lack of space to store hunted animals, it is pretty much a redundant feature.
The poker game in-game is nothing short of a joke. Don't even bother playing it as you will lose money if you play more than, say, 20 hands against the AI.
Travel. By far the biggest problem. It takes ages to navigate this map - not because it is so big - but because you pretty much have to travel with your horse the whole time. Oh, and you cannot even follow set paths, so you have to control the giddy bastard for the entire time.
Shooting system. Poor, very twitchy and inaccurate - not at all fun to use.
Crafting. Requires hunting stuff. Hunting stuff is very time-consuming and, by an large, boring.

Controls. They are awkward. It does not feel smooth nor intuitive. They aren't game breaking by any means but they could be a damn sight better.

It is another game that equates quantity with quality, a trend in the gaming world whereby if you have massive crafting menu's and the ability to brush your teeth manually you're somehow revolutionising the industry. Maybe I'm the only gamer who wants the games to be, first and foremost, fun? I suspect there will be patches changing certain aspects of the game and, until they happen, I'd avoid buying the game. I'm playing now and wondering why I continue to do so because, after getting out of the snow section (the very first part of the story), everything has become a lot more tedious and dull. 10 out of 10 is honestly a joke score - that indicates perfection, and this game comes nowhere near that.

Bugs: A random civilian started a fistfight with me and I was wanted for unarmed assault after I defended myself. The next time a man spontaneously attacked me, I decided to keep blocking just to see what would happen. Another random civilian shot him in the back and I was then wanted for murder. I steered my truck of a character to the outskirts of town only to find myself under investigation AGAIN because another random civilian was mauled by a mountain lion or something.

I stopped hunting after my legendary bear pelt disappeared from the back of my main horse. I stopped riding my main horse entirely after I got tired of the game unequipped my weapons every time I made contact with it. The game is incapable of remembering that I put weapons in holsters, but it knows exactly when that horse is in need of grooming. Because you know what every video-game needs more of? Chores.

But none of that matters because the graphics are nice. Hoof prints stay in the mud and horse testicles shrink in the cold.…Expand

This game has the clunkiest character movement I have ever seen in a current gen game. It's super unresponsive and feels like you are swimming against a light current that's pushing against you all the time. Also, good luck shooting at anything requiring precision, it's pretty much impossible even with controller dead zone set to 0 and the velocity/sensitivity turned up so you are forcedThis game has the clunkiest character movement I have ever seen in a current gen game. It's super unresponsive and feels like you are swimming against a light current that's pushing against you all the time. Also, good luck shooting at anything requiring precision, it's pretty much impossible even with controller dead zone set to 0 and the velocity/sensitivity turned up so you are forced to use auto-aim.

Game looks gorgeous, I will give it that, but it's not even remotely close to a 10.…Expand

I'm about 7 hours in and from what I've seen so far, this game is sitting at about a 6 for me. Not once have I been excited or had what I would consider real fun. It's been more of a boring slog up to this point. I've spent more time running around on the horse than anything else. That's crap.

Terrbile controls - touchpad is not a map, circle is not a stop action and many, many other things that players will not uderstand.
Fatal game design in terms of player movement. Looting corps while combat? forget it. After? Forget it as well - marshall's or other peace of s... will appear 30 sec after shooting. Spamming X for horse sprint? seriously? f u Players from Rockstar.
ImmersionTerrbile controls - touchpad is not a map, circle is not a stop action and many, many other things that players will not uderstand.
Fatal game design in terms of player movement. Looting corps while combat? forget it. After? Forget it as well - marshall's or other peace of s... will appear 30 sec after shooting. Spamming X for horse sprint? seriously? f u Players from Rockstar.
Immersion ruined by stupid actions like covering behind cariage while 30 men are shooting to you from 3 meters.
Immersion ruined by stupid game design - for example - put animal bait in wrong please - MISSION FAILED - AHAHAHHAHAHA. F u Players from Rockstar

Don't get me wrong - there is planty nice things as well. But because of this stupid mistakes it is definitely not a game of the year or even a month. Bilions of dolars wasted because of some game design or creative director not doing his f... job.
And marketing - f u PC players we will get more money after one year after we release this game AGAIN on PC like with GTA V.…Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
After reading and listening for all the praises and comments about game details and balls shrinking from "professional" reviewers I got hyped and bought the game expecting it to GOTY material. I say that in a year where we had Dragon quest 11 and God of War released.
After 20 hours in I feel I have to write because I have not been that disappointed in a game since Assassin's Creed Unity.

How is it possible to make such a bad game based on fetch quest years after Witcher 3 ? Did the other developers learned nothing.

The game is slow, boring and punitive for all the bad reasons. It's slow because controls are awful, the world is huge and empty and you spend your time going from A to B and dying for stupid reasons. It's boring because all the quests are the same, you have narrative where Rockstar believe they can master dialogues as well as Tarantino (they manage ok) then you have a very bad gunfight where you cover/auto aim/shoot, have a quick narrative and rince and repeat. The rest of your time you actually work. You cook, you collect grass, you hunt animals for hours, you clean stuff, you clean yourself, you clean your horse, you clean your guns etc. It's a miracle we don't have to brush teeth and wipe ass.

This, and all the restrictions. You shall not have fun in this world. After a few hours, after I gave all my money to my camp (which I am the only one doing, others in the band seem to chew bubble gum all day long), I decided to be bad for once, for fun and giggles.

I got a 300 bucks bounty on my head I could not pay off. I was hounded by wizards and Jedi masters who always know exactly where I am at 4am in the morning when I have been in the forest alone for 2 days. They killed the horse I had bought (FUN) I kept losing all my hunting catches (FUN!!) I even lost legendary pelts (R u not entertained??).
I found a secret place in town where there is illegal activity. I thought it would be easy money. You go there, have a gunfight, get spotted by law, shoot them, and get punished by a bounty higher than the money in the stash. It's great, it's realistic. Of course not realistic to the point you can jump by the window or open the other door there, no, there s only one way in and out because it's FUN.
I tried everything, even going ninja like in there and kill everyone with throwing knives before a single shot (took me ages to pull this out) . The sheriff, a jedi medium seer from the future with the hearing of daredevil still knows the law has been silently broken and intervene. It's all great, it's so FUN.

WHY?

Why do I get punished ?

I already work all day long. I don't play to work more and get punished. I just want to have fun, like people in Westworld, not feel what it was to do chores all day long on the Far West and be punished every time I don't play the way the devs want me to play.

They have made a gorgeous, beautiful world full of details and forgot how to make a fun game along the way. They have reached Ubisoft level. I can't believe this t... was made by the people who made Vice City, one of the best game I ever played.

I have to go. My hero is underweight because I didn't feed him enough. Time to have some FUN and feed the idiot !…Expand

This game is over hyped. I don’t like wild west era games but was hoping this game would change my mind but it failed miserably. The gun play is awful and the covering system fails to achieve the fun part of gunfights. The story starts very slow and it gets a little boring afterwards. The main camp that you are staying at is kinda useless as it doesn’t generate any money and all theThis game is over hyped. I don’t like wild west era games but was hoping this game would change my mind but it failed miserably. The gun play is awful and the covering system fails to achieve the fun part of gunfights. The story starts very slow and it gets a little boring afterwards. The main camp that you are staying at is kinda useless as it doesn’t generate any money and all the crafting upgrades are costly and require some special materials which requires long and boring hunting trips. The need to eat, sleep, smoke and repeat is literally breaking the game as it kills the fun part. And last but not least, this game should be called Horse Simulator: Boring Edition. The amount of time you spend on just tapping X to keep it running is long enough to rage quit. If your horse dies or it’s far from you you have to run like a minimum of 5 minutes to reach a nearby town. I had high hopes for this game but I am already thinking of selling or trading it after only 3 days and I am not even interested in completing the story. Shame on you Rockstar.…Expand

Advantages:
- Intro is what I really liked. Beginning of the game looks incredible.
- Details - steps on the sand, the way you can customize the clothes, small animations like picking up something or eating. Tons of small details which made on 10/10 level
- Looks Really beautiful. Graphics level is very high. Animations are the best! Like to just look on the landscapes.
Disadvantages:Advantages:
- Intro is what I really liked. Beginning of the game looks incredible.
- Details - steps on the sand, the way you can customize the clothes, small animations like picking up something or eating. Tons of small details which made on 10/10 level
- Looks Really beautiful. Graphics level is very high. Animations are the best! Like to just look on the landscapes.
Disadvantages:
- Just look on the landscapes is the only fun thing. All gameplay is around "go there and kill those". With rare difference.
- Riding 3-6 on horse to the quest giver, picking up quest, 3-5 minutes to the quest location, 5 minutes of quest, 5 minutes to get back on horse (if you didn't miss it - then you need to go 10 minutes on foot or steal a new one). This games is Horse Riding Simulator. (Which is not fun as I don't like pressing the X button rapidly for full ride)
- Content: Boring boring boring. Don't know what I waited, but it's really boring. After finishing quest I didn't want to pick up next one. Don't know why, may be because it will be the same with little difference.
- Horse can die!!! I made my horse my friend, it was with me from the beginning of the game. And then on the mission when you need to jump on train roof it was following me for some reason and jumped under the train... I realise it died straight after the mission end.. So I was need to start from beginning just because of randomnes/bug. This fact pushed me to close the game in that evening. I don't need *such* "realism" in the game to be honest.

Verdict:
- Game is big bright and beautiful gift box with nothing inside. You can look on it and that's all. Not suggest to buy unless they do something with that. Or until the online come out. Really hope online will fix it for me and show something different.…Expand

This game should be called "The Sims Western Version"
It totally feels like gta 5 with better graphics not the best graphics out there though, too slow can't enjoy the shooting, It's overrated, marketing is big now days.

It's a good game for sure, but it gets a bit old and tedious after a while, especially once you realise that there is not really that much to do in the open world besides hunting which is boring and the rewards are very uninteresting, random encounters which are boring and repetitive and treasure hunts and collectathons that we have seen a million times before in other open world games. NoIt's a good game for sure, but it gets a bit old and tedious after a while, especially once you realise that there is not really that much to do in the open world besides hunting which is boring and the rewards are very uninteresting, random encounters which are boring and repetitive and treasure hunts and collectathons that we have seen a million times before in other open world games. No the story does not get lost in the open world, if anything it's the opposite. The open world is flat and boring that the only interesting thing to do in it is the main story.

The graphics are 10/10 no doubt, as is the music, voice acting and overall sound design, the story and writing are also 10/10 no complaints here at all. But that is where the positives end.

On to the gameplay and this were the game stumbles big time IMO, where do i even start.
The controls, my god this game has what might be the worst control scheme I think i have ever played in a game period. It is the most convoluted, self contradicting button mashing s%@t fest that has ever graced a gamepad. This also extends to the in game menus which are a chore to sort through. The controls and context sensitive menus has caused me no end of frustration, things like pulling out my weapon to aim or shoot is the same buttons for talking to people, who thought this was a good idea now I have a bounty on me and i am running from the law, wait let me just get out my shotgun I selected 2 minutes ago, oh wait Arthur has my bolt action equipped for some random reason instead which leads to a death. And this kind of crap is just a tip of the Ice berg, the controls are simply counter intuitive to game raging degree. Melee fighting is garbage, it is just rock paper scissors with no depth to it at all, one or two button mashing until you win the fight or loose the fight.
Some please tell the game to stop taking control away from me at every turn, get to camp, walk at a snails pace, go inside a house walk at a snails pace etc i want to run dam it. getting chased by wolves and the camera gets taken over by the game to focus on the wolves behind me even though i am well ahead of the situation and i want shoot them but i cant, i am just doing donuts on my horse instead because the game wont let me take control of the frigging camera.

The game tries to pass itself off as a super realistic almost cowboy simulator where you have to eat drink, and sleep etc, but at every turn it contradicts itself with super unrealistic scenarios. on multiple occasions I have shootout in area only to get chased out for whatever reason so i mark the spot to come back so that i can loot the bodies i left, it's only been a couple of minutes and i have not ridden very far and when i get back the bodies have mysteriously vanished in to thin air. Spawning lawmen, this makes sense in a modern setting with cars, radios and helicopters but not in the wild west, when getting chased by the police handfuls will randomly spawn in front of you even though the nearest county is 3 hours ride away via horseback. I can only carry 4 weapons on me yet I can have a library full of books and a shop full of alcohol, tonics and herbs in my tiny little satchel, yeah ok then.

On to the witness system, Jesus this one of the most irritating systems In the game for me along with the controls. So I get ambushed and have to defend myself, yet there is a witness nearby that sees the shootout yet i am the one that gets into trouble for it even though i did not start the fight. WANTED! $10 bounty. I accidentally bump into someone they punch my lights out so i punch them back, witness sees it, WANTED! $20 bounty. I accidentally run some one over on my horse because they walked right out in front of me, WANTED again $50 bounty and it just keeps going. Not to mention you spend 5 minutes hunting down a witness to stop him, another witness is near by sees you threaten him or whatever then you chase him down and so on it goes WANTED! do you see a pattern emerging here it's unrealistic and not fun in the least.

And this my main issue with this game, the story missions are great, they suck you in to this grand sweeping story that is written like poetry, but the fact is outside of that, it just isn't fun, and at the end of the day, this why I want to play a video game, to have fun which this game is not. Don,t get me wrong I have had some enjoyable moments actually playing the game they are just so few and far between and my experience has been more frustrating than enjoyable. And to be perfectly honest the open world just feels shallow with nothing meaty or substantial to do in it which is a shame considering how pretty it is.…Expand

I'm just gonna tell it how it is and agree with most actual constructive criticism. The game is huge, draw distance is gorgeous and the scope of detail is insanely ambitious. The kicker? Stuff is *too real* and a lot of the time it isn't fun. The game needs a patch bad and a couple things changed. It's not fun or innovative for me to have to go to my horse for most of my stuff, it's notI'm just gonna tell it how it is and agree with most actual constructive criticism. The game is huge, draw distance is gorgeous and the scope of detail is insanely ambitious. The kicker? Stuff is *too real* and a lot of the time it isn't fun. The game needs a patch bad and a couple things changed. It's not fun or innovative for me to have to go to my horse for most of my stuff, it's not fun taking forever to hunt, carve up and put SOME animal pelts on the horse. It isn't fun holding multiple buttons to run, holding buttons to play a game that feels like it controls like a game from 2003. Not sure what happened in their overworked, 100 hour weeks that they messed up mobility so bad, but please patch it. Let me keep my stuff on my character, let me move without a stick in my butt, let me grab stuff out of a drawer all at once with pushing the button once or twice. The other huge issue that needs patched is the character models looks like A$$, like early ps4 games A$$. The HDR doesn't work and screenshots looks hideous. There isn't a photo mode? I know some don't care, but I love showing off the games I play and having good pictures helps a lot. What I do like is the care and detail to the world, the shop books are incredibly done, corpses rot, people remember you when you save them, the random occurrences are Skyrim good! If stuff isn't fixed, I probably won't finish the game, because everything feels like a chore and if i'm not having fun the game has failed in my opinion. You can be as detailed and ambitious as you want, but if it's not a good escape from the real world, then why bother? I'm not giving up on it yet and if they fix all of this and the story delivers, absolutely GOTY, but right now it's looking like Spider-Man or God of War have that honor. I mean this is a veteran company who put nearly eight years into this game and the game itself took 2-6 hours to download and install depending on where you live! No other game or company would still be getting 9/10, 10/10’s for the game performing so poorly after that. People aren’t even letting Bethesda get away with it on the new Fallout game for crying out loud. My score is mostly round up out of respect for the work put into it and not so much enjoying the game as a whole so far.…Expand

I have finished RDR2 and I have very mixed feelings about this game. The story is excellent and well worth playing but the game in general is extremely slow with unintuitive controls. Extremely limited fast travel options meant that even after I made the decision to mainline the story I was still frustrated by extended riding session after extended riding session. This game has zeroI have finished RDR2 and I have very mixed feelings about this game. The story is excellent and well worth playing but the game in general is extremely slow with unintuitive controls. Extremely limited fast travel options meant that even after I made the decision to mainline the story I was still frustrated by extended riding session after extended riding session. This game has zero respect for your time and doesn't care if you're having fun. All is sacrificed at the altar of immersion and realism, which is both awesome and horrible at the same time.…Expand

This game does not deserve a Metacritic score of 97/100. The visuals and level of detail are unlike anything i have seen in a game. It's incredible how characters interact - there is so much interesting dialogue. However, playing feels like a chore. Unlike GTA 5 or Red Dead Redemption 1, this is such a stale and boring experience. I am not having any fun. Missions consist of riding yourThis game does not deserve a Metacritic score of 97/100. The visuals and level of detail are unlike anything i have seen in a game. It's incredible how characters interact - there is so much interesting dialogue. However, playing feels like a chore. Unlike GTA 5 or Red Dead Redemption 1, this is such a stale and boring experience. I am not having any fun. Missions consist of riding your horse for 5 minutes (button mashing x), shooting or finding someone, and then riding back to camp. This should not even be considered for game of the year in my opinion. I had a lot more fun playing God of War - which made me have watery eyes towards the end.…Expand

I was loving life playing this game, then a game breaking bug lead to a slippery slope of disappointment. I got the bug that makes John, his wife and son and Sadie disappear. I didn't realize this for a long time. I went online to look for a fix and inadvertently came across MAJOR spoilers. The idea of starting a new game (studying all those animals, crafting, upgrading camp, etc) isI was loving life playing this game, then a game breaking bug lead to a slippery slope of disappointment. I got the bug that makes John, his wife and son and Sadie disappear. I didn't realize this for a long time. I went online to look for a fix and inadvertently came across MAJOR spoilers. The idea of starting a new game (studying all those animals, crafting, upgrading camp, etc) is daunting. Coupled with all the spoilers the game now feels ruined. I was totally immersed in this game, a feeling I haven't had in a long time. Now, because Rockstar missed this major bug I'm feeling the same way you do when that thing in a relationship happens causing the magic to be gone and you know you'll never get it back.…Expand

This game is a good example of why "professional" video game critics cannot be trusted in 2018. Here they are trying to sell this game as perfection and it is a flawed gem at best. Does it look great? Yes. Does it do a good job of presenting it's story and characters? Definitely. Is it fun to play? Not really. Is the gameplay perfect? Very far from it.

What we have here is a beautifullyThis game is a good example of why "professional" video game critics cannot be trusted in 2018. Here they are trying to sell this game as perfection and it is a flawed gem at best. Does it look great? Yes. Does it do a good job of presenting it's story and characters? Definitely. Is it fun to play? Not really. Is the gameplay perfect? Very far from it.

What we have here is a beautifully presented example of how overrated and overhyped a video game can be. No matter how good looking a game is, and no matter how well they present the story and characters, if the gameplay isn't fun the game just isn't fun. That is the problem here, a distinct lack of fun. There are way too many chores, way too much time is spent on tedious and drawn out actions, and the controls are just a complete mess. I honestly find it amazing how a game can get so highly rated with controls this awful. Everything feels slow to react and sloppy, the movement, the gunplay, the interaction, everything. It is also ridiculously frustrating to interact with the world as you seem to do unintended actions with incredible ease and due to the lack of easy access to manual saves you will find yourself getting in situations where you are facing unintended consequences making it unnecessarily difficult to play the game as anything besides a notorious bad-guy.

Simply put I am having a hard time enjoying this game and I am very disappointed with the results.…Expand

This is one of those big beautifully boring games that has 1 source of accomplishment, Realism, and it's not fun. the first 5 minutes of the game is watching a cut-scene and riding through a blizzard. The rest of the story is alright. The game is absolutely gorgeous to look at, scenery is drop dead amazing. The gun-play is meh, we are still stuck with console controllers. maybe when the pcThis is one of those big beautifully boring games that has 1 source of accomplishment, Realism, and it's not fun. the first 5 minutes of the game is watching a cut-scene and riding through a blizzard. The rest of the story is alright. The game is absolutely gorgeous to look at, scenery is drop dead amazing. The gun-play is meh, we are still stuck with console controllers. maybe when the pc release arrives ill change my mind. i think thats it, when AAA developers stop getting creative the modders will flip the game to make it more enjoyable. when gta 5 released on pc 2 years after the 360/ps3, people were enjoying it from all the exciting stuff people added. Now my copy is about to collect dust.…Expand

RDR2 is a finally crafted product with stellar production values throughout, however within that they forgot to ask them selves is the game fun?

Everything you do feels tedious, gunfights are basic and you need to abuse the snap to auto aim to get anywhere, this lowers them down to if the guy your shooting goes down with one shot or three, you will constantly be forced to due boringRDR2 is a finally crafted product with stellar production values throughout, however within that they forgot to ask them selves is the game fun?

Everything you do feels tedious, gunfights are basic and you need to abuse the snap to auto aim to get anywhere, this lowers them down to if the guy your shooting goes down with one shot or three, you will constantly be forced to due boring maintenance work every half hour or so and any deaths often feel cheap and frustrating especially due to the fact you lose alot of items you have not turned in upon them possibly loosing hours of progress.

Rockstar once said most people never finish a game, they are 100% right especially with this product, give it a few weeks and second hand shops will be full of it.…Expand

DULL, DULL... is Arthur... he is a dullard... noting interesting about him whatsoever... well into Chapter 2 and NOTHING memorable has happened other then excessive horseback riding and accidental shooting of folks because the "interact with folks" button is the SAME BUTTON as shoot... what-the-heck??? Very, very disappointed. I was killed, failed a mission, returned to camp, and MY TENTDULL, DULL... is Arthur... he is a dullard... noting interesting about him whatsoever... well into Chapter 2 and NOTHING memorable has happened other then excessive horseback riding and accidental shooting of folks because the "interact with folks" button is the SAME BUTTON as shoot... what-the-heck??? Very, very disappointed. I was killed, failed a mission, returned to camp, and MY TENT WAS GONE... what-the-heck? and what a miserable way to get access to the map... some menus you'll need to back out with 4-5 button pushes just to return to the game... ugh!... and can I PLEASE skip the overlong skinning scenes... I simply don't want to hunt because I know it just slows down the slow tempo even more. there doesn't seem to be a way to brake my horse, which results in me running over or past folks... went from a 6 to a 5. absolutely nothing wow.
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BORING... I played about 8 hours (after the initial 2 hour mostly QuickTime session) and found nothing interesting or compelling. You end of at a camp and stroll around looking for something to do. Go into town, have a little scuffle, go to the stores where you don't have nearly enough money to buy anything useful, go back to camp, stroll around. Doesn't come close to Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, and even Shadow of the Tomb Raider in terms of intriguing. Not looking for crazy action, just something that engages me to want to play... will try for a little longer to see if something interesting happens that is more than just running errands.…Expand

I am not saying this is a bad, mediocre game. It is not. It has that "Rockstar seal of quality" all over the place. The graphics are gorgeous, the setting is beautiful, the atmosphere feels real, the characters talk and behave as real people. All these elements combined really help create a true western story.
Now. To theBefore you start throwing rocks, please just hear me out.

I am not saying this is a bad, mediocre game. It is not. It has that "Rockstar seal of quality" all over the place. The graphics are gorgeous, the setting is beautiful, the atmosphere feels real, the characters talk and behave as real people. All these elements combined really help create a true western story.

Now. To the actual game part. That's the main issue for me. The controls are clunky AF, the pacing is slow and most of the time you feel bored while you travel the place looking for something to do. The character walks as fast as snail when he is not in the wilderness, and most of the time I feel as if I am playing for a couple of hours without getting much done. Then I do a quest or two, get bored and stop playing it.

But the main problem in my opinion are the controls... they seem outdated, weird, almost broken sometimes. Everything about the game feels bureaucratic and slow. You never quite know exactly what you are doing most of the time because everything is so poorly explained.

At this point, I am playing it to see how this story ends and because RDR 1 is one of my favorite games. This 2nd game seems to be all smoke and mirrors, all hype and not much else. I actually cannot believe this is how I feel about this game.

But the truth is that, for me, playing Red Dead Redemption 2 has been a chore.…Expand

It's a fine game and the intense dedication of the developers is obvious. Most of what it accomplishes, however, is at the cost of designing an entertainment product as a "game," though. The game incentivizes keeping a main horse and even has an icon for it, but regularly teleports you away from the horse so that you have to backtrack. The game boasts an open world but you have practicallyIt's a fine game and the intense dedication of the developers is obvious. Most of what it accomplishes, however, is at the cost of designing an entertainment product as a "game," though. The game incentivizes keeping a main horse and even has an icon for it, but regularly teleports you away from the horse so that you have to backtrack. The game boasts an open world but you have practically no choice in the outcome of the missions. There are rewards for collecting perfect animal pelts but the availability of the pelts is random to the point where it is no longer skill-based to find an animal with a perfect pelt. The graphics are truly incredible but they regularly slow to sub-projector-framerates, even in battle. Is this a game or an interactive movie? The player may pass most of the game believing that they're still in the tutorial. In the end, the time is passed but we are not better humans and haven't seen anything new or more refined, just old and perhaps even un-fun mechanics done more professionally.…Expand

I finished the game.
Everything is "fine" except the actual gameplay.
It is absurd that in 2018 you can't enter buildings to rob them (houses and such).
The Witcher 3 had almost every building enterable and it was in 2015.
On top of that the game has the exact same problem that any Rockstar game have: police spawning out of nowhere despite the location or how stealthy you are.
If youI finished the game.
Everything is "fine" except the actual gameplay.
It is absurd that in 2018 you can't enter buildings to rob them (houses and such).
The Witcher 3 had almost every building enterable and it was in 2015.
On top of that the game has the exact same problem that any Rockstar game have: police spawning out of nowhere despite the location or how stealthy you are.
If you train to rob a train the middle of nowhere, the police will know in 5 seconds and spawn in 10 all around you in waves. Same thing with stores or banks or whatever.
This kills the fun, especially in the end game: I finished the game and now I have nothing to do.
This game isn't worth 60$ and you can't really be an "outlaw" or "bandit".
You cannot rob places or trains or houses (because you can't even enter them) without the police spawning right next to you and putting a bounty of 100+$. The bandana does nothing to protect your identity neither (does not matter if you change clothes or hairstyle).
This is a big empty world.…Expand

Just finished it this morning.
The game is technically amazing, but is brought down buy tiresome gun mechanics and movement along with a frustrating lack of freedom within missions and many other inconveniences.
For example if you forget to get your rifle from your horse before dismounting during a mission it will often fail you for walking 5 meters back to get it, so your left with aJust finished it this morning.
The game is technically amazing, but is brought down buy tiresome gun mechanics and movement along with a frustrating lack of freedom within missions and many other inconveniences.

For example if you forget to get your rifle from your horse before dismounting during a mission it will often fail you for walking 5 meters back to get it, so your left with a crappy pistol for the whole thing.

Your load-out constantly resets so you have to rummage through bags for 10 seconds to get everything you want before leaving your horse. main character doesn't seem to adapt based on your play style. game gets quite tiresome and i am glad its over.

incredible amount of unique voice lines and unique interactions and a kinda good overall story bring the score up a bit.…Expand

Its pretty as hell but otherwise its ok I guess. At this point, anybody who has played more than a couple of world games knows what to expect in your average AAA open world big budget game, you get a hundred different quests across the map and you go to each one at your leisure so that the quest can play out. Some of the quests are really well written but so many are like your averageIts pretty as hell but otherwise its ok I guess. At this point, anybody who has played more than a couple of world games knows what to expect in your average AAA open world big budget game, you get a hundred different quests across the map and you go to each one at your leisure so that the quest can play out. Some of the quests are really well written but so many are like your average Ubisoft or Bethesda side quests, point drivel fetch quests.

If the game wasn't so bug free and good looking I would have reduced another point because of how average it is but its pretty for sure so it gets a 6.…Expand

All of the 10/10 and high critics reviews seem to be completely overlooking the broken bounty system and poor game play design in some facets of the game. If someone starts a fist fight with you and you defend yourself? That's assault. Someone tries to rob or shoot at you and you kill them? Murder. Accidentally get on the wrong horse because it is right next to yours? Horse theft. I can goAll of the 10/10 and high critics reviews seem to be completely overlooking the broken bounty system and poor game play design in some facets of the game. If someone starts a fist fight with you and you defend yourself? That's assault. Someone tries to rob or shoot at you and you kill them? Murder. Accidentally get on the wrong horse because it is right next to yours? Horse theft. I can go on. The new dueling system is kinda frustrating amid in consistent. God forbid your R2 is slightly worn out because dueling won't work at all. Do you like your weapon loadout? Well it will reset every time you get on a horse and your equiped gun will change arbitrarily causing you to have to scramble to change weapons.
The horse controls seem to have taken a downgrade. It has been a long while since I played the last Red Dead, but i seem to remember horses being able to follow the path by themselves. Now if you turn to shoot pursuers, you risk for horse running face first into a tree. For a game that seems to have a love affair with realism, when it is convenient of course (taking 20 bullets in a gun fight is just a flesh wound) , I find a horse running head long into a tree just because you didn't tell it not to a little hard to swallow.…Expand

Rockstar should stop pretending to be a game developer and just transfer themselves into the movie industry instead. The way missions are designed in RDR2 it isn't really a game at all but rather a somewhat interactive movie, with great emphasis on "somewhat". The player is treated like a mindless participant ushered along a prechosen path to the next cutscene, and not the main focus atRockstar should stop pretending to be a game developer and just transfer themselves into the movie industry instead. The way missions are designed in RDR2 it isn't really a game at all but rather a somewhat interactive movie, with great emphasis on "somewhat". The player is treated like a mindless participant ushered along a prechosen path to the next cutscene, and not the main focus at all. Most decisions are made for you whether you welcome them or not and the outcome of your predetermined actions is already decided beforehand. I would have paid a ticket to see this movie, but it was not worth the money buying this "game".

Also: Plus for great graphics a world well-drafted and rich on content plus the general atmosphere, the stories and the characters, but minus for pretty much everything in regards to gameplay.

Stop this nonsense and go make a movie already. It's obvious it's where you want to be ;)…Expand

*It's a good game for sure but it's not great. There is nothing new here.
*The stories are actually interesting but the gameplay within them isn't. The guns aren't special, the aiming system isn't special, it's in fact very stiff and hard to control. You have to rely on auto aim.
*The graphics are amazing. Once again, nothing special though. I have seen goodHonest Review:

*It's a good game for sure but it's not great. There is nothing new here.

*The stories are actually interesting but the gameplay within them isn't. The guns aren't special, the aiming system isn't special, it's in fact very stiff and hard to control. You have to rely on auto aim.

*The graphics are amazing. Once again, nothing special though. I have seen good graphics plenty before. Sure the physics are amazing but I don't get enjoyment from seeing my footprint in mud.

*The map is very large and that is not a good thing. You will spend most of your time riding around on your horse. You will ride for 10-15 minutes to do a mission that takes maybe 2 minutes to then ride back for 10-15 minutes.

*The controls are bad. They are very bad. They are stiff and clunky. Just trying to loot a body can be such a chore. When you are in your camp...it is beyond frustrating how slow you move. It actually makes more sense to mount your horse...go outside of camp, ride at full speed to the other side of the camp then just walking across it. You can say "Well that is for realism. You wouldn't run everywhere in real life." You are correct, but this isn't real life. It's a video game.

So in conclusion: This isn't a 10/10. It's not a 0/10. People with either of those ratings are just silly. This game is somewhere between a 6 and a 7 out of 10. Once again, it's not a bad game. No where near it. But this also isn't anything grand. I'd like to say I will do everything there is to do in the game but I highly doubt it. I have played for about 10 hours so far and I am forcing it at this point.…Expand

Graphics -10 (looks stunning)
Gameplay- 4 ( It takes from other games and makes it much worse, game takes control of your character too many times and there are too many bugs/glitches.
Controls- 5 ( Terrible and unacceptable for 2018)
Replay value - 3 ( I dont see many people wanting to replay or continue playing this game after they haveStory - 9 ( Good for a prequel)

Graphics -10 (looks stunning)

Gameplay- 4 ( It takes from other games and makes it much worse, game takes control of your character too many times and there are too many bugs/glitches.

Controls- 5 ( Terrible and unacceptable for 2018)

Replay value - 3 ( I dont see many people wanting to replay or continue playing this game after they have completed it, maybe when online comes out it will give the game some life)…Expand

Game itself is superb.... marred noticeably by poor HDR and 4k checkerboard implementation on my ps4 pro and 4K HDR display. Gotta say I didnt expect R* to fall short here especially given the sony marketing. Unbelievable they missed these two areas when developing the game

If these things change, this Game could be a masterpiece for me:
- Yes an unrealistic, but defrustrating fast travell option like in Assassin‘s Creed. (I dont want spent hours on riding in the whole game)
- Better controlls in movement and aiming/shooting (This is a Western Game by the way....shouldnt be shooting one of the most important things here??? And no, i dont want just switch toIf these things change, this Game could be a masterpiece for me:
- Yes an unrealistic, but defrustrating fast travell option like in Assassin‘s Creed. (I dont want spent hours on riding in the whole game)
- Better controlls in movement and aiming/shooting (This is a Western Game by the way....shouldnt be shooting one of the most important things here??? And no, i dont want just switch to auto aim!!!)
- A more fairly Bounty System which does not punish me for just jostle.
- Option to adjust survival mechanics like eating, cleaning weapons, clothing, bath etc.
(I want to escape my real live, not spend hours for living another live!!!)
- Graphics fix for Ps4 Pro (Sharpness and Blurry Problem)

I am hopefull for the next update and will wait to play until then.
Without the Game mechanics fixes, i cant think about playing RDR2 online. Gameplay mechanincs are the core in online Play.…Expand

Clumsy controls, buggy gameplay and questionable mechanics keep Rockstar’s prequel to the excellent western Red Dead Redemption far from being a perfect game, but its characters and story still make up for a memorable experience.

I bought RDR2 Friday and played maybe 15 - 20 hours over Saturday and Sunday. Toward the middle of the day on Sunday the "new game"ness effect wore off, and it finally became apparent to me that this game just isn't very much fun. It's repetitive and tedious, and frankly kind of sucks despite the gorgeous landscapes and visuals. Don't believe theI created an account just to post this.

I bought RDR2 Friday and played maybe 15 - 20 hours over Saturday and Sunday. Toward the middle of the day on Sunday the "new game"ness effect wore off, and it finally became apparent to me that this game just isn't very much fun. It's repetitive and tedious, and frankly kind of sucks despite the gorgeous landscapes and visuals. Don't believe the critics reviews. The negative and mixed user scores reviews are all spot on.

As many have mentioned, the controls are inconsistent and confusing. The main character's movement speed is sluggish. Simple actions like tying up your horse horse are annoying to perform. There are animation sequences you can't skip for many basic actions like skinning animals, which get old really quick. The intro is long and boring and doesn't do a great job of introducing you to core game mechanics. There's little replay value because it's so boring sitting through the intro all over again. Every mission is the same: spend 10 minutes riding your horse, do your task for 5 minutes, spend 10 minutes riding back. Want to hunt? Ride your horse for 10 minutes, hunt for 5 minutes, ride your horse 10 minutes back. I kept expecting more mechanics to open up that would make the game more enjoyable. It never got better. The game is just tedious and dull. It's not fun to do mundane tasks over and over. It's not fun to spend 10 minutes riding your horse to get somewhere, do a task for 5 minutes, and ride your horse back 10 minutes tapping X over and over again.

*10 hours of actual engaging gameplay
*10 hours cut scenes
*15 hours horse simulator with repeatedly pressing X over and over again
*25 hours of chores: so much chores in this games for the sake of realism: cooking, eating, camping, picking your weapons, wearing clothes proper to the temperature, searching closet, taking item, looting, mounting the horse,The game is easily 60 hours:

*10 hours of actual engaging gameplay
*10 hours cut scenes
*15 hours horse simulator with repeatedly pressing X over and over again
*25 hours of chores: so much chores in this games for the sake of realism: cooking, eating, camping, picking your weapons, wearing clothes proper to the temperature, searching closet, taking item, looting, mounting the horse, dismounting the horse and even 200 other chores actions that each one one of them has an animation that lasts for a few seconds, it is easily maybe half your time in this game is waiting for the fuking animation of every single action action you do to end so you can do the next one.

The reality in game should have a limit, I don't pick the controller and start a game to do the same stupid chores I do or can do in real life, to explain how bad realism in video game can be, imagine if Red Dead Redemption 3 in 2026 makes you go to hospital if you got shot in the leg and cuts you from the action and story of the game to take a medicine and sleep and do recovering exercises, wasting half an hour of your time in a healing process simulation before coming back to the story of the game!!! WTF you will say, well; I think RDR3 will definitely do something like that.…Expand

While this game is not even close to deserving of all the zeros on here I believe it’s completely deserving of the over all score it evened out as in the player ratings(as of now 7.6). It’s also incredibly apparent that most journalists that have it a 10 never played through the entire campaign. I’m baffled that Rockstar thought it was a good idea to completely neuter your character forWhile this game is not even close to deserving of all the zeros on here I believe it’s completely deserving of the over all score it evened out as in the player ratings(as of now 7.6). It’s also incredibly apparent that most journalists that have it a 10 never played through the entire campaign. I’m baffled that Rockstar thought it was a good idea to completely neuter your character for the final 1/3 of the game. The reliance on dead eye, hence continuous swigging down of every substance that will enable it, completely breaks the fluidity of combat. Limiting that ability made it become an incredibly annoying and frustrating trial. I absolutely loved the first part of the game, 10/10, but after a certain event happens, the gimbal movement coupled with shaky targeting without(or limited) deadeye completely ruined my enjoyment of the game. I no longer wanted to complete any side quests or activities. I just,angrily, wanted the game to be over. After all is said and done, I don’t see how this control scheme is going to be enjoyable in a multiplayer environment. It’s such a great game but the outdated gimbal like character movement and wobbly targeting just kill it. It’s a shame.…Expand

I usually don't buy into the hype surrounding large releases and this game was no different. I bought it off of the strength of the first game and how much I liked the story. Here is my brutally honest take on the game. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a gorgeous looking cinematic disguised as a video game. It seems like the folks at Rockstar put a lot of time into trying to make this gameI usually don't buy into the hype surrounding large releases and this game was no different. I bought it off of the strength of the first game and how much I liked the story. Here is my brutally honest take on the game. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a gorgeous looking cinematic disguised as a video game. It seems like the folks at Rockstar put a lot of time into trying to make this game movie-like instead of focusing on gameplay. I'll focus on what I think the main points of the game are here:

STORY:
We all loved playing former gang member turned bounty hunter, John Marston, in the first game. That alone helped all of us want to play this prequel. This game focuses on an entirely new character named Arthur Morgan within the Van der Linde gang. The cinematic quality of the story is pleasing and there is more character development this time around. However, I never really found a connection with Arthur like I did with John. John's story was straightforward with a hint of mystery which made it very thrilling to play. Arthur's story seems quite the opposite. Not as thrilling a character to play as.

DESIGN
I must say, one of the overwhelming positives of this game has to be the breathtaking graphics. It is a stunning upgrade over the previous entry. I've been playing it on my 75Inch HDR 4K TV on my PS4 Pro and I have to say it is nothing short of beautiful. Riding through the country side watching day turn into night, lifelike animals and sounds were all stunning to behold. Cutscenes play out like a Quentin Tarantino movie. Nothing bad to say here

GAMEPLAY
Here is where my main issue lies. The gameplay of RDR2 is not bad but not great either. You'll spend most of your time doing mundane tasks like shaving, sleeping, eating, grooming your horse, etc... While these aspects of the game add a realistic quality to the gameplay, they can be quite tedious and ultimately boring. They seem to slow down the gameplay and fun factor. Also, the gameplay mechanics could be better. Aiming is a real pain and horses aren't very fast. The amount of time it takes to get from one place to another on horseback is ridiculous. It's almost as if the developers wanted people to be forced to enjoy the scenic route from one objective to another. Even though you are able to be a murderous and thieving outlaw, it seems like the game punishes that behavior. You'll be hunted by bounty hunters and not able to step foot in town without being swarmed by lawmen. Not to mention the only way to remove your notoriety is to pay off your bounty which is hard considering money isn't easy to come by.

SUMMARY
RDR2 is a good game with some noticeable flaws. I don't regret buying the game at all and found some aspects of it enjoyable. However, I wouldn't call it game of the year. I think God of War or Spiderman are far superior in every aspect.…Expand

The main problem is, that it's not a real open world game. If you focus on the main story, like many reviewers and some users do, you will experience a linear and scripted game with almost no freedom. Every time you try something different the missions will fail.

Controls aren't very good, so it's also hard to recommend the game for that linear story experience.
The separate and realThe main problem is, that it's not a real open world game. If you focus on the main story, like many reviewers and some users do, you will experience a linear and scripted game with almost no freedom. Every time you try something different the missions will fail.

Controls aren't very good, so it's also hard to recommend the game for that linear story experience.

The separate and real open world part is done quite well, but it doesn't have enough interesting and coherent/interlocking elements to keep you motivated very long. If you remove the linear story and high production value, it's the usual open world stuff, we've known for years, mixed with light survival elements.

So what you will get is an average to good open world sandbox for maybe 15-20 hours of random fun and a separate, very scripted and cinematic game with high production value. Both parts have average gameplay and problematic controls. The only highlights and reasons to play the game are its great graphics, atmosphere and story.…Expand

I'd say this game is way too long and drawn out story wise, and the actions are clunky and slow. But, there are many silver linings. The open world is beautiful and has so much to be admired, and the the exploration itself is fairly rewarding. However, it's truly just another Rockstar game.

Playing on the base PS4 and the visuals are horrible. The game is very blurry and the dithering on all the alphas is really bad. Everyone must be playing on the PS4 Pro or Xbox one x to be raving about the visuals. The player movement is clunky. The game play is really slow. The wanted system is very unfair. A NPC will walk in front of your horse, assault, a NPC steals off you and you getPlaying on the base PS4 and the visuals are horrible. The game is very blurry and the dithering on all the alphas is really bad. Everyone must be playing on the PS4 Pro or Xbox one x to be raving about the visuals. The player movement is clunky. The game play is really slow. The wanted system is very unfair. A NPC will walk in front of your horse, assault, a NPC steals off you and you get the money back, assault, Someone starts a fight and you defend yourself, assault. This really needs to be re-balanced in an update.

Its not a bad game but it certainly doesn't deserve a flawless rating many are giving it. It can be fun at times but for the most part it can be a chore to play.…Expand

Bought this game 2 days ago and i was so exiting to play it, after playing once again to the 1st RDR to feel the western vibe. and...
DAmn, this game is beautiful, great atmosphere...BUT....
- The gameplay is really really slow , Arthur is way too 'heavy', really feels like a Lag is present , crafting takes eternity .
- Lot of dialogues (ok it's a Rockstar game, it's great with theBought this game 2 days ago and i was so exiting to play it, after playing once again to the 1st RDR to feel the western vibe. and...
DAmn, this game is beautiful, great atmosphere...BUT....
- The gameplay is really really slow , Arthur is way too 'heavy', really feels like a Lag is present , crafting takes eternity .
- Lot of dialogues (ok it's a Rockstar game, it's great with the cinematic View), but no way to make subtitiles bigger.
- You can't set the difficulty ...

After the 1st hour i was ready to give a 10
after 2 hours a 9
after 4 hours a 8...
and i'm feeling it's a 7 now :(

The game is absolutely amazing and there is plenty to be astounded over and loved, but there are some game play issues that muddles over the fantastic core experience and dirties the game into the mud.

The question is, how much realism do we actually need in a game. Rockstar has tried to nail down the realism of RDR2 to its core but instead of enhancing the gaming experience, to me itThe game is absolutely amazing and there is plenty to be astounded over and loved, but there are some game play issues that muddles over the fantastic core experience and dirties the game into the mud.

The question is, how much realism do we actually need in a game. Rockstar has tried to nail down the realism of RDR2 to its core but instead of enhancing the gaming experience, to me it feels like there is more control over the player and what he can do then actual freedom within the game.

One thing that is really bothersome is when Arthur tries to do anything in camp. He moves at a slow pace and there is no work around to have Arthur move faster within camp. Horses cannot be ridden to your bed and skinned animals cannot be dropped off at the butcher. Trying to successfully accomplish a task within camp can sometimes feel like you're fighting the controls when you are trying to achieve a button prompt. I think it has something to do with the camera and the way Arthur steps around, he could sometimes hum over certain prompts within camp just because he isn't positioned right or directly over the object.

The button prompts have drastically changed from Red Dead 1 to 2. Now you can essentially "engage" someone by holding L2 and focusing in on them. This has caused me more problems with the NPC's then good ones... I don't know why but everytime I try to talk to someone or focus in on them, I get into more fights then friendly banter. I'm also not really into holding the square button when trying to pick up a body or animal pelts and then you use the Triangle button to loot bodies and mount your horse. Its confusing what i'm trying to say and can really halt the progress of normal mundane tasks because the player is confused trying to figure out how to achieve his goal. Picking up someone else's gun is the same concept too. You have to Press R1 to scroll over the option menus to choose the right prompt and then press L1 to switch a weapon you wanted to pick up. Its just a mess really and game play wise extremely confusing.

The menu is cluttered, making it confusing for the user making it a hard time understanding what exactly could be sold at a market or used for practicality. There isn't a sorting option available that organizes your pack for you, which I feel like they sorely needed to implement or give the option to manually sort items for ourselves so we can clearly define exactly what we need and what we don't need.

One last thing.. The hunting is really bad. Really really bad. Its VERY hard to track and find an animal let alone kill it properly to get the perfect skin. it takes more time out the game when trying to hunt and it does it in way that doesn't feel satisfying. Hunting gameplay needs a huge look at and needs to be made in a way thats more friendly and rewarding to do.

There are things that bother me about RDR2, its more about the controls then anything but the story and quests are engaging. Its a rockstar game in an open world scenario. You're going to be fetching things, you're going to be an errand boy but thats how its always been. Nothing new there and thats why we come back to these games for the immersion and silly quests. The game is beautiful and the world feels alive.…Expand

The pro reviewers giving 10s are either being dishonest or aren't paying attention. Red Dead Redemption 2 has a LOT of serious problems. Realistic it is at times, sprinkled liberally with jarring, frustrating, unrealistic, inappropriate gamey mechanics.

If you shoot up a gang's hideout in the woods and kill them all, then go into the hideout and take something from a drawer, you will beThe pro reviewers giving 10s are either being dishonest or aren't paying attention. Red Dead Redemption 2 has a LOT of serious problems. Realistic it is at times, sprinkled liberally with jarring, frustrating, unrealistic, inappropriate gamey mechanics.

If you shoot up a gang's hideout in the woods and kill them all, then go into the hideout and take something from a drawer, you will be marked as a thief and the law will, in less than a minute, ride up and come after you --- even though you were in the hideout without witnesses when you took something from the drawer, even though you're in the middle of the woods far from town. The law show up out of nowhere like magic. On top of all this, the law doesn't seem to care that you shot a bunch of people and that there are bodies everywhere, only that you stole a bottle of liquor.

The game has other serious issues that also make it too 'gamey' and not realistic enough. In mission 1, you cannot open a certain locked trunk you must open to complete the mission, and the guy you're with will just freeze in place until ... you eat something. That's right. The one has got nothing to do with the other, but you have to eat at least a cracker or that trunk will never open and your comrade will never take another step. The same thing happened in a mission much later when a guy took me bear hunting. All of a sudden he just stopped on his horse. Wouldn't move. Frozen. No matter what I did. Five minutes, ten minutes, 15 minutes passed. Still frozen. I never found the answer to that one. But I assume the game wanted me to engage in some random action utterly unrelated to what we were doing to trigger the game to move forward.

In mission 2 if you stray too far from the enemy camp the mission ends in failure. Therefore, if you shoot a fleeing bad guy off his horse, then go to collect stuff off the body (as you are required to do for the mission) the mission will end in "failure" if the body fell too far from the main camp. How's that for "open world"? In mission 3, as you chase a man on his horse to lasso him, you have to cross a stream to get behind him. But if you cross that stream too soon, by which I mean before the game arbitrarily wants you to, that mission also ends in "failure". How's THAT for open world??? When your fellow gang member is held as a human shield by a train conductor on the roof of a train, you want to shoot the train conductor, right? But if try, you won't hit him, and you won't accidentally hit your fellow gang member either. Even though they are, at that moment, closer than any other target you've had in the game so far. All of your bullets magically become blanks ... because the game wants you to go up to him and hit him with your fists. All of these artificial, unnecessary, extremely frustrating and anti-immersive moments broke the game's momentum and pushed me out of the fictional universe.

When shooting, if you don't want to use a reticle (and I don't) you can turn off the reticle in the options menu. You can still hit targets just fine because there is a command that lines the barrel right up with your sightline -- except ..... not when you're using a bow. Even though in real life you line the arrow right up with your line of sight while aiming, this is not permitted in the game. Even though it's permitted with guns. So it is IMPOSSIBLE to hit a deer or other animal with an arrow unless you go into options and turn the reticle back on. So it's back and forth as I play because I do NOT want a reticle, but have to use one when using a bow. Why in the world the game doesn't let you line your bow up with your line of sight is beyond me. It makes zero sense. These are the reasons I say the game is marred by bizarre limitations that render it not truly open world (in the way, for example, Skyrim is truly open world. In Skyrim you can go anywhere at any time, even mid-mission if you want to, you can take off and go hunting or fishing and just head for the other side of the continent. Not in Read Dead Redemption 2. You have to do arbitrary things - eat a cracker - before you can complete missions and you have to stay within very narrowly defined areas during missions.

Side note. The dialog in the game is also laced with expressions that did not exist until my lifetime, some not even until I was an adult. It is strange to watch as people in 1899 use lingo that did not even exist yet when I was in elementary school. The team really dropped the ball on this. They should have had an older person reviewing the script. It is jarring in places and really puts me out of the game here and there. And it would have been so simple to avoid.…Expand

It’s simply incredible how much Rockstar has accounted for. But even beyond the jaw-dropping visuals, the diverse score, and the gameplay, the story is something special and memorable. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a must-play for its entertainment value, its boundary-pushing, and its place as a landmark moment in video games.

No open world game makes you feel as physically present as Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s a treat to inhabit. The story might feel a bit linear, but you’ll want to see it through, and your own journey awaits besides, over the open plains. [Issue#156, p.78]

It is possibly the best open world that you can visit, held back by a main story that’s a bit too archaic. On the whole, it’s still highly enjoyable, so I would still highly recommend you dig into it. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth.